물발자국을 활용한 에너지 및 식량 부문의 물 소비 특성 분석

초록

Water, energy, and food are interconnected as key resources for human life and sustainable development. The water footprint methodology is gaining attention as a way to integrate consumption across resource sectors based on common standards and quantitatively analyze regional characteristics and interactions between sectors. This study characterized the water consumption of energy and food sectors across 17 Korean provinces by analyzing their water footprints. In the energy sector, considering energy source consumption, cooling methods, and regional water stress indices, Ulsan registered the highest water footprint (1,083.7 m3/ton), Chungnam (621.5 m3/ton) and Incheon (600.8 m3/ton) also ranked high largely reflecting their extensive power generation and industrial structure. On the other hand, solar and wind power were the lowest among all energy sources, confirming them as environmentally friendly sources with negligible water resource burdens. In the food sector, the water footprint was calculated by distinguishing green (rainwater), blue (irrigation), and gray (pollution dilution) water footprints, focusing on rice cultivation. The total national average water footprint was calculated to be 4,821 m3/ton. Excluding Jeju, the national average was approximately 1,900 m3/ton. For inland regions excluding Jeju, with green water dominating the composition (over 90%), blue water and gray water comprised only 3-5% and less than 1%, respectively. This pattern highlights the predominant reliance of the Korean food sector on rain-fed agriculture. This study effectively compared the relative scale and spatial distribution of water consumption across the energy and food sectors by quantifying their resource usage in a single unit (m3). The results can be used to establish integrated resource management strategies based on water-energy-food Nexus and to develop policies responding to climate change.

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