Arjen Hoekstra was born on June 28, 1967, and died on November 18, 2019. He was a professor at the University of Twente. He introduced the idea of the water footprint, which measures how much water is used. His work showed that many activities use water in ways that are not obvious. This has greatly influenced both research and environmental rules and efforts. He believed in sharing scientific information freely, and all his articles were published with a Creative Commons License.

Education

Hoekstra received an MSc degree in Civil Engineering and a PhD in Policy Analysis from Delft University of Technology.

Career

At the University of Twente, Arjen Hoekstra was a professor who specialized in water management and served as the head of the Department of Multidisciplinary Water Management. He worked on many different research projects that involved multiple areas of study. He gave advice to many different groups about water use, including governments, UNESCO, the World Bank, and Compassion in World Farming. As a professor, Hoekstra taught subjects such as sustainable development, hydrology, natural resource valuation, environmental systems, and policy analysis. Throughout his career, Hoekstra's work was covered by international media, and he was often called an expert on issues related to water resources.

Water footprint

The water footprint shows how much water people use when they consume goods and services. The water footprint of a person, group, or business is the total amount of fresh water needed to make the products and services they use or create. Water use is measured by how much water is used up (evaporated) or made dirty over time. A water footprint can be calculated for any clearly defined group of people (such as a person, family, town, city, or country) or for any business, process (like growing rice), or product.

Traditionally, water use has been studied by looking at how much water is taken from sources in three areas: agriculture, industry, and homes. This method gives useful information but does not fully explain how water is used in a world where products are often made in one place and used in another. When countries trade agricultural or industrial goods, they also move "virtual water," which is the water used to create those goods (similar to how energy is used in making products).

In 2002, the water footprint was introduced as a way to measure water use based on how much people consume, not just where water is taken from. This idea is similar to the ecological footprint, which was created in the 1990s. The water footprint shows not only how much water is used or polluted but also where that water is used. This helps explain how choices and activities in one place can affect water availability and other natural resources in other parts of the world.

Death

Hoekstra died suddenly in November 2019. The reason for his death was not determined, and it occurred while he was riding his bicycle home. He is survived by his wife and children.

Awards

In 2012, Hoekstra received a special doctor's degree from the Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iaşi in Romania.

Selected publications

• Hoekstra, Arjen. The Water Footprint of Today's Consumer Society (Routledge, 2013 and 2020)
• Hoekstra, Arjen. The Water Footprint Assessment Manual (Earthscan, 2011)
• Hoekstra, Arjen. Globalization of Water (Wiley-Blackwell, 2008)