Special Issue "Water Economics and Sustainability"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2022.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Carlos Gutiérrez-Martín
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department Agricultural Economics, Finance and Accounting, University of Cordoba, E-14014 Córdoba, Spain
Interests: agricultural economics; agricultural water economics; mathematical programming models
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Dr. C. Dionisio Pérez-Blanco
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departament of Economics and Economic History, University of Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain
Interests: hydroeconomics; economic calibrated models; mathematical programming; system analysis; water scarcity; droughts
Dr. Jose A. Fernández Gallardo
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Policy, Faculty of Economics and Business Sciences, University of Córdoba, 14002 Córdoba, Spain
Interests: sustainable finance; geographic information systems; mathematical programming models
Dr. Nazaret M. Montilla-López
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department Agricultural Economics, Finance and Accounting, University of Cordoba, E-14014 Córdoba, Spain
Interests: water pricing; water banks; water market; water resources management; agricultural mathematical programming
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The economy of water plays a fundamental role in the sustainability of water resources. A growing number of countries is transitioning from an expansionary to a mature water economy where high and growing demands meet inflexible supplies, leading to increased interdependencies among uses and intense competition for the resource. In this context, water (re)allocations inevitably entail a redistribution of benefits among users that needs to be properly assessed and balanced. Accordingly, national and international institutions have called for new demand-side approaches that integrate economic principles in the design of water policies, as illustrated by the Water Framework Directive.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to gather the latest contributions on the interrelationships between the water economy and the sustainability of water resources, society, and the economy in general. The Special Issue is open to all contributions related to the economy of water in all uses: agriculture, urban, energy, tourism, recreational, etc. Submissions can focus on both theoretical developments and applied cases that contribute to a better understanding of the interrelationships between economic instruments for water management and sustainability.

This Special Issue welcomes submissions related to water economics and sustainability from (but not limited to) the following areas:

  • Agricultural water economics contributing to sustainability
  • Urban water economics for water saving, water demand analysis
  • Water economics and energy for a sustainable development
  • Tourism and water economics
  • Water accounting
  • Valuation related to water
  • Water finance
  • Water markets and banks
  • Water pricing and its contribution to sustainability
  • Decision support systems based on, or incorporating, water economics
  • Insurance related to water supply variability
  • Cost-benefit analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis

Dr. Carlos Gutiérrez-Martín
Dr. C. Dionisio Pérez-Blanco
Dr. Jose A. Fernández Gallardo
Dr. Nazaret M. Montilla-López
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • agricultural water economics
  • urban water economics
  • water economics and energy
  • tourism and water economics
  • water accounting
  • water finance
  • valuation related to water
  • water markets
  • water pricing
  • decision support systems
  • insurance
  • cost-benefit analysis
  • cost-effectiveness analysis

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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Article
Green Water from Green Roofs—The Ecological and Economic Effects
Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 2403; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042403 - 23 Feb 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 776
Abstract
Green roofs (GRs) have been one of the most popular solutions for water harvesting in urban areas. Apart from their water retention role and increasing biodiversity, they constitute the missing link between the built and the natural environment, which is required for sustainable [...] Read more.
Green roofs (GRs) have been one of the most popular solutions for water harvesting in urban areas. Apart from their water retention role and increasing biodiversity, they constitute the missing link between the built and the natural environment, which is required for sustainable human living in cities. This paper aims to calculate the ecological (EE) and economic effect (EcE) of water harvesting via GRs, by contrasting with a traditional roof, and to perform an economic analysis of the social cost benefits that GRs generate during their life cycle, using the Net Present Value (NPV) method. All the calculations and analyses were conducted for both intensive and extensive GRs in 11 of the largest municipalities in Poland, with a population of >250,000 inhabitants. According to the results of this study, water retention and the economic and ecological effects of GRs are highest in the municipalities with the highest assumed number of GRs (Warsaw, Krakow, Wroclaw, and Szczecin). The average EE and EcE equals 507,000 m3/yr and 621,000 USD/yr. The NPV results show that the effectiveness of investments in intensive GRs is, to a certain extent, more significant than in extensive GRs and the average equals 60.77 and 4.47 USD/yr for intensive and extensive GRs, respectively. The results could serve as a reference for the evaluation and optimization of the energy efficiency of rainwater harvesting schemes, in European cities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Economics and Sustainability)
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Review

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Review
The Drivers-Pressures-State-Impact-Response Model to Structure Cause−Effect Relationships between Agriculture and Aquatic Ecosystems
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9365; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169365 - 20 Aug 2021
Viewed by 213
Abstract
Different segments of society have shown interest in understanding the effects of human activities on ecosystems. To this end, the aim of this article is to analyze the scientific literature on the application of the Drivers-Pressures-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) conceptual model to identify the parameters [...] Read more.
Different segments of society have shown interest in understanding the effects of human activities on ecosystems. To this end, the aim of this article is to analyze the scientific literature on the application of the Drivers-Pressures-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) conceptual model to identify the parameters used to describe the causal interactions that occur between agriculture and aquatic ecosystems at the watershed scale. In this way, descriptive indicators were established for the data of 63 publications collected through Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct. The results confirm the great heterogeneity in the interpretation of the pressure, state, and impacts components. Part of this discrepancy can be attributed to the use of different indicators, as the model is flexible and generic. Overall, the DPSIR is a tool used not only in the scientific field, but also has demonstrated its potential to guide public policy formulation, planning, and decision-making in water resource management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Economics and Sustainability)
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