In this study, scientists investigated how the trading of virtual water – water used to make products – has changed over the last 20 years. They discovered that as demand for water continues to rise, water scarcity is becoming more of a problem. To better understand this, the researchers looked at how water scarcity affects global virtual water trade. By analyzing different types of virtual water flows from countries with varying water scarcity levels, they found that accounting for water scarcity changes the global virtual water networks significantly. This means that where water is scarce influences how and where virtual water is traded around the world.