Professor Tony Allan

Professor Tony Allan was a Professor in the Department of Geography at King's College London.

Tony was a pioneer in the development of key concepts in the understanding and communication of water issues and how they are linked to agriculture, climate change, economics and politics. He developed the concept of virtual (embedded) water and was named the Stockholm Water Prize Laureate on 19 March 2008.

Tony died in 2021, aged 84. His obituary can be found here.

Research

• Understanding and communication of water issues

• How water issues are linked to agriculture, climate change, economics and politics
• Social and political contexts which influence and determine water use and water policy
• Global water resource

A pioneer in the development of key concepts in the understanding and communication of water issues and how they are linked to agriculture, climate change, economics and politics, Tony Allan was named the Stockholm Water Prize Laureate on 19 March 2008.

Tony's research focused on the social and political contexts which influence and usually determine water use and water policy. The research aimed to explain why environmental and economic priorities fail to figure on the agenda of those using and allocating water. Policy issues are a prime concern and especially the difficulties that scientists and professionals encounter in gaining a place for their 'knowledge' in water policy discourses. In the Middle East and North Africa – a major regional focus of research – Tony showed that the water crisis has been ameliorated through the availability of virtual water embedded in the international food trade.