Tapping into Hong Kong’s water wastage: how an app aims to expose the city’s global footprint
Usage in the city has risen an estimated 17 per cent per person over the past two decades
In February last year torrential rains finally eased one of the worst droughts ever seen in Brazil, but for a meat-crazed Hong Kong which relies heavily on the South American country’s meat exports, a major water shortage 18,000km away did nothing to dampen its appetite for a juicy rib-eye steak.
That same month, Hong Kong – the world’s third biggest consumer of beef per capita – imported more than 15 million kilograms of Brazilian frozen beef – about half of the city’s total imports of the product.
As a major importer, the environmental impact of the food Hongkongers consume often goes unseen, concealing the fact that water footprints are global and meat consumption is a huge driver of it.
The city’s dependency on Brazilian meat production was brought to light amid a recent tainted meat scare in the country, but the saga has also exposed Hong Kong’s poor conservation ethos and inability to rein in water consumption.
Direct water usage in Hong Kong has risen 17 per cent per person over the past two decades, but resource management experts warn the impact of the city’s indirect consumption is far greater.