Description of the thesis topic

Environmental accounting involves measuring the use of natural resources, the generation of waste, and the environmental costs or benefits associated with economic activities. A major challenge for establishing a circular economy is to integrate environmental accounting in decision-making. This project takes this challenge seriously and applies state-of-the-art environmental accounting methods to a critical resource in the Lille metropolis region: water.

To do so it combines dynamic system analysis and life cycle assessment methods, brought by A. Estevez-Torres, and urban metabolism approaches, contributed by M. Dumont, in a multi- disciplinary approach between science and technology and social sciences. It applies these methods to a territory with increasing water-related problems: the Lille metropolis. The project has four objectives: i) to establish a precise water balance in this area; ii) to quantify virtual water, i.e. water exchanged through trade; iii) to estimate the life cycle assessment of water management in the territory; iv) to analyze different water production/consumption scenarios and establish a link with the water planetary boundary. By better understanding water uses and quantities in the Lille metropolis, this project will advance our knowledge on water management, the relation between planetary and regional ecological boundaries and provide science-informed policy assessment.

The planetary boundaries framework identifies the environmental limits within which humanity can safely operate while maintaining Earth's stability and resilience. Introduced in 2009, this concept defines nine critical thresholds that regulate the planet's essential dynamic systems, such as climate, biodiversity, biogeochemical flows and water resources (Rockström et al. 2009). Crossing these boundaries increases the risk of destabilizing the Earth system, potentially leading to irreversible environmental changes.

Several boundaries have already been transgressed, including the four mentioned above and in particular water (Richardson et al. 2023). However, while the planetary boundaries framework provides a global perspective on Earth's environmental limits, translating these boundaries into actionable strategies needs to bring them at the regional scale (Häyhä et al. 2016). Regionalizing planetary boundaries involves tailoring the framework to specific geographic, ecological, and socio-economic contexts, recognizing that environmental challenges and resource availability vary significantly across the globe.

In this project we will focus on the water resource planetary boundary and we will use methods to quantify it at the scale of a particular region: the Lille metropolis. To do so we will combine three approaches: urban metabolism, water footprint and life cycle assessment.
Urban metabolism examines the flows, usage, and transformation of resources within urban environments (Kennedy et al. 2015). It treats cities as dynamic systems where water is a vital resource, cycling through natural and human-engineered processes, including supply, consumption, treatment, and discharge. Focusing on water, urban water metabolism analyzes direct water inputs, outputs, and storage, and provides insights into resource efficiency, waste generation, and environmental impacts (Renouf and Kenway 2017). It helps identify inefficiencies, such as losses in distribution or pollution, and supports sustainable water management strategies. As urbanization intensifies, understanding urban water metabolism is essential for designing resilient, water-secure cities that balance ecological and societal needs. Our study will take as a starting point our recent work on the urban metabolism of the Lille metropolis (Barles and Dumont 2021), making an specific focus on water resource.

In Australian cities, (Kenway, Gregory, and McMahon 2011) observed that significant volumes of rainfall, stormwater, and wastewater —equivalent to 265%, 61%, and 75% of potable water demand, respectively— flow through urban areas without being utilized, underscoring the underuse of these accessible water resources. (Thériault and Laroche 2009) conducted a water balance analysis of a Canadian city, which enabled them to identify potential future water security challenges. More recently, (Renouf et al. 2018) used urban water metabolism to evaluate the performance of water-sensitive interventions, such as desalination, wastewater reuse and water harvesting.

Urban metabolism provides an estimate of direct water uses, i.e. water produced and consumed locally. However, in the critical times of resource depletion and climate change that lie ahead, assessing regional water security needs an integral approach that takes into account both indirect water consumption and the impact of direct water management facilities on global and local resource depletion, i.e. on other resources than water. Indirect water consumption can be estimated using either water footprint (Hoff et al. 2014) or environmentally-extended input-output methods (Lenzen 2009). Finally, life-cycle assessment (LCA) of water management facilities quantifies natural resources and impacts (Corominas et al. 2020) of water production and treatment. Here, we will apply our LCA expertise (Estevez-Torres et al. 2024; De Paepe et al. 2024) to assessing water management in the Lille metropolis.

These complementary methods, urban metabolism, water footprint and life-cycle analysis have recently been applied to the context of water management in cities (Renouf and Kenway 2017). However, to the best of our knowledge, they have not been combined to analyze the integral water dependency for a given city. Here we will explore this approach with two goals: i) provide an integral water assessment for local policymakers and ii) connect local water consumption to the planetary boundary of water resource.

Work Context

The work will be carried out between the LASIRE laboratory, at the chemistry-environment interface, and the TVES laboratory of geography/urban planning, at the University of Lille. The candidate will conduct their research within the Environmental Physico-Chemistry team of LASIRE, which includes water and atmospheric chemists and ecologists. The thesis will be co-supervised by André Estevez-Torres (Research Director in chemistry/sustainability sciences) and Marc Dumont (Professor of Urban Planning). This work is carried out in the context of the Institute for Environmental and Social Transitions at the University of Lille, in a very rich and interdisciplinary work environment focused on environmental issues.

The work will primarily involve analyzing public data and will be conducted using a computer. Strong skills in data analysis, programming in Python or R, database usage, and statistics are required. Knowledge of the water cycle will be beneficial. The candidate should have an interest in ecological issues. A background in engineering or environmental sciences is expected, with an appreciation for interdisciplinary work (co-supervision in environmental sciences/urban planning). The work may be complemented by fieldwork, including interviews with water stakeholders or water analyses, depending on the candidate's profile.

The position is located in a sector under the protection of scientific and technical potential (PPST), and therefore requires, in accordance with the regulations, that your arrival is authorized by the competent authority of the MESR.

Constraints and risks

Computer work