Water Exploitation Index (WEI)

Better information will help us adapt The Water Exploitation Index (WEI) is a good example of the type of information needed to give an overview of the scale and location of the problems facing us

http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/water-exploitation-index-wei-2/signals-cc-adaptation-fig2.eps/image_original

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In simple terms, the index shows available water resources in a country or region compared to the amount of water used. An index of over 20 % usually indicates water scarcity. As the graph shows, nine countries are considered;water stressed: Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Germany, Italy, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Malta, Spain, and the United Kingdom (England and Wales). WEI data are available for England and show that the South East and London are especially stressed. This level of information is key in terms of effective adaptation to climate change. By understanding how much water is available in a region, where it is coming from and who uses it, we will be able to build effective local strategies to adapt to climate change.

Publish date:: 09 Jan 2009
Last upload:: 30 Oct 2008
Temporal coverage:: 1990
Tags:: ecosystem services | climate change | household | water | water resources | signals2009
Geographical coverage:: EU25, EU27, EU12, EU15, Iceland, Macedonia the former Yugoslavian Republic of, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey
Rights:: EEA standard re-use policy: unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged (http://www.eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright). Copyright holder: European Environment Agency.
Source:: EEA, ETC Water
Owners:: European Environment Agency
Figure type:: Graph