Impact of virtual water export on water resource security associated with the energy and food bases in Northeast China.

• This paper proposes to optimize the resource allocation of the food and energy waterl;. • Deepen the reform of the supply side of agriculture to alleviate the stress on water resources;. • The contradiction of water shortage will become more prominent in Northeast China. The production and consumption of grain and energy need physical water resources which causes the virtual water circulation. The recycling of water requires energy, and the food production is associated with the consumption of biomass energy, which competes with the energy production for water. This paper uses the water footprint of food production and Water pressure index corrected to calculate Production and transfer of food and energy in Northeast China. The results show that the energy water footprint of the Northeast region was 4.3 × 10⁸ m³ In 2000, it reached a maximum value of 4.39×10⁸ m³ in 2012, and whereafter the energy water footprint fell to only 3.73×10⁸ m³ in 2015. In Northeast China, more water is embedded in the outflow of food and in the inflow of energy. In 2000, the energy water footprint outflow was 1.54×10⁸ m³, and the energy water footprint inflow in 2015 reached 1.89×10⁸ m³. With the expansion of the food and energy production in Northeast China, water resources stress continues to rise. Except for Liaoning Province, the water resources pressure indices of Heilongjiang Province and Jilin Province are much higher than the national average. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]