YtDl2r

Figure 6. Overview of countries
from which Germany
imports ore (based on tonnes
imported)
Country
Import
value
(€ m)
Import
volume (t)
Physical
risk
Regulatory
risk
Reputational
risk
Brazil 2,746,074 23,119,169
Canada 771,482 4,541,891
Sweden 731,446 5,153,571
South Africa 713,097 2,778,054
Peru 707,789 382,717
Australia 544,449 1,219,735
Argentina 473,095 571,610
Brazil 53%
Sweden 12%
Canada 11%
South Africa 6%
Guinea 5%
Mauritania 3%
Australia 3%
Argentina 1%
Norway 1%
Peru 1%
Remaining
(64 countries) 12%
Chile 387,036 255,800
Mauretania 133,798 1,253,371
Papua New
Guinea
123,892 43,281
Table 6. Top ten countries from which Germany imports ore and their water risk (based
on imported value) High Medium Low
*See 3.1 Water Risk Analysis and Methodology for further details.
Sector water risk and water intensity
Mining, oil, and gas exploration operations cannot be relocated since they are
dependent on the specific location of the ore, oil, gas or coal, which makes the
sector susceptible to changing local water availability and quality and to community
concerns about water use 58 .
The extractives industry has historically had a significant impact on ecosystems
in which they operate. Extractive operations use and often degrade the
quality of significant quantities of water. The fact that mining, oil, and gas
companies are often situated in areas where water is already scarce and quality
is under pressure only exacerbates these problems further 59 .
Unconventional sources, such as shale gas production, are currently being intensively
explored in a number of countries from which Germany imports natural
gas, such as the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Next to water use,
the risks associated with the extraction of shale gas through hydraulic fracturing
are chemical ground contamination and underregulation by authorities.
THE IMPORTED RISK Germany’s Water Risks in Times of Globalisation | 27