Reducing water and energy footprints via dietary changes among consumers

An increasing global demand for food is occurring at the same time that water shortages and energy restrictions are escalating in many parts of the world. Much of the attention thus far has focused on supply side factors that can produce more food with fewer resources. Consumers, whose personal water footprints are dominated by food-related activities that have both direct and indirect energy requirements, control the demand side factors for food. Whereas conserving water and energy has been a sufficient incentive for a limited number of consumers to change their food habits, there is an increasing array of nutritional, financial, health and safety reasons why a larger number of consumers may be willing to modify their diets. These reasons range from avoiding pathogens and synthetic chemicals to increasing life expectancy and saving money on groceries. From the perspective of conserving water and energy resources, reducing the consumption of certain animal products, increasing the consumption plant-based foods, changing the ways that foods are perceived and accessed, and selecting foods that are produced with fewer potential water pollutants are among the most relevant. The projected influence of dietary changes on water and energy savings are restricted to industrialized nations, with considerable attention given to the current situation in California, where a severe drought in an agriculturally productive region has highlighted the interactions among water, energy and food.