New publication on the Political Ecology of Virtual Water in Southern Spain

Maria Beltrán, Entitle researcher and lecturer at Pablo de Olavide University, together with Esther Velázquez; have written the just published article at the International Journal of Urban and Regional Research.

What does virtual water conceal? This article synthesizes political ecology with ecological economics to question the understanding of the scientific concept of virtual water as part of an independent objective reality, rather than as a construction supported by pre-existing ideas. The discourse promoting both the concept of virtual water and the methodologies used to estimate virtual water flows is structured according to some underlying ideas that are framed within market logic and the rationality of international trade. Consequently, it produces a representation of water as a factor of production that does not challenge the hegemonic construction of water scarcity in nature, and proposes a water management system the main purpose of which is to maximize efficiency in the use of the resource.

The article reveal the ideas underlying the virtual water concept to show how a critical approach to ecological economics can be complemented by political ecology theories.

Download the article here