Tribute to a fine scientist!
I have heard of the passing of Arjen Hoekstra. It saddens me deeply.
By Anthony Turton
I have heard of the passing of Arjen Hoekstra. It saddens me deeply. He was an adopter of the concept of “Virtual Water” originally developed by Tony Allan – a mentor to me and subsequently a family friend. Tony Allan asked a question in the face of the conventional wisdom of the time that “the wars of the next century will be fought over water”. Central to that the statement made by Boutros Ghali that the only reason Egypt will go to war is over the waters of the Nile.
Tony Allan simply asked that if this is the case, why had it not yet happened? He began researching the issue and discovered that as much water flows into the Middle East North Africa (MENA) imbedded in cereals donated as food aid by the West as flows down the Nile. He gave a name to this “embedded water” which he named “virtual water”.
That was an important moment for the community of analysts and professionals working on water as a national security risk, because it shifted the debate to the politically silent nature of balancing local water deficits. This is where Arjen Hoekstra comes in, because he assembled a team that started to quantify the flows of Virtual Water globally.
Hoekstra’s work thus become the foundation of an increasingly sophisticated understanding of how local water scarcities can be managed by a strategic shift in focus from a “watershed in deficit” to a “problemshed” that offered a range of solutions.
Arjen Hoekstra and his team crunched numbers. Millions of data points were captured, analysed and interrogated. From this effort a whole new generation of young professionals emerged. People grounded in empirical science, but with the capability of understanding complex flows of Virtual Water that were as significant from a strategic perspective as the hydrological cycle was to conventional hydrologists.
Arjen Hoekstra will be remembered for his monumental contribution to both science and policy in the world of water constrained economies. His systematic approach to data collection and processing set a new benchmark that not only validated the concept of Virtual Water, but it shifted the science beyond what could have been imagined by Tony Allan when he first conceived of the notion. In this process Arjen Hoekstra developed the notion of the “Water Footprint” now used widely in sustainability reporting.
Today I pay my deep respects to Arjen Hoekstra and I offer my condolences to his family and friends.
Tony Allan simply asked that if this is the case, why had it not yet happened? He began researching the issue and discovered that as much water flows into the Middle East North Africa (MENA) imbedded in cereals donated as food aid by the West as flows down the Nile. He gave a name to this “embedded water” which he named “virtual water”.
That was an important moment for the community of analysts and professionals working on water as a national security risk, because it shifted the debate to the politically silent nature of balancing local water deficits. This is where Arjen Hoekstra comes in, because he assembled a team that started to quantify the flows of Virtual Water globally.
Hoekstra’s work thus become the foundation of an increasingly sophisticated understanding of how local water scarcities can be managed by a strategic shift in focus from a “watershed in deficit” to a “problemshed” that offered a range of solutions.
Arjen Hoekstra and his team crunched numbers. Millions of data points were captured, analysed and interrogated. From this effort a whole new generation of young professionals emerged. People grounded in empirical science, but with the capability of understanding complex flows of Virtual Water that were as significant from a strategic perspective as the hydrological cycle was to conventional hydrologists.
Arjen Hoekstra will be remembered for his monumental contribution to both science and policy in the world of water constrained economies. His systematic approach to data collection and processing set a new benchmark that not only validated the concept of Virtual Water, but it shifted the science beyond what could have been imagined by Tony Allan when he first conceived of the notion. In this process Arjen Hoekstra developed the notion of the “Water Footprint” now used widely in sustainability reporting.
Today I pay my deep respects to Arjen Hoekstra and I offer my condolences to his family and friends.
His colleagues will miss him as a passionate man, always working and socially engaged. He had an open mind, was intrigued by other cultures and visited many countries over the years. To-the-point, no-nonsense and starting from a base of trust characterised Arjen. He enjoyed giving the people he worked with autonomy. Was socially active in our team. Was working from his ‘sustainable’ office, an green oasis filled with plants. Was an inspiration to us all.
We are shocked and sad by this unexpected passing away of Arjen, and wish his wife, children, family and friends much strength and consolation while we mourn this momentous loss with them. A loss that moreover will be felt in the water footprint community, both in science and practice. He will leave a strong memory with many. We will do what we can at the Water Footprint Network to continue his legacy and strive for fair and smart use of water worldwide.
We are shocked and sad by this unexpected passing away of Arjen, and wish his wife, children, family and friends much strength and consolation while we mourn this momentous loss with them. A loss that moreover will be felt in the water footprint community, both in science and practice. He will leave a strong memory with many. We will do what we can at the Water Footprint Network to continue his legacy and strive for fair and smart use of water worldwide.
The University of Twente created an online condolence register, where you can leave a message and share your thoughts. The collection will be shared with his family later on.
