Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystems Interlinkages in a Context of Global Change

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water-Energy Nexus".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 October 2021) | Viewed by 8763

Special Issue Editor

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
Interests: agroeconomic modeling; policy impact assessment; water–energy–food nexus; circular economy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water, energy, and food are highly interconnected. Despite this fact, the sectoral fragmentation of analytical and policy tools addressing these sectors remains widespread. A water–energy–food–ecosystems (WEFE) nexus perspective offers advantages to disentangle the multifaceted interconnections between water, energy, food, and ecosystems. A proper understanding of the WEFE nexus is crucial to address trade-offs and to identify synergetic policy interventions, which in turn are essential to advance towards the sustainable development goals. For this Special Issue, we invite papers examining the WEFE interlinkages, from the local to the global scales, and exploring development pathways that reconcile short-term objectives with long-term sustainability. Questions to be considered include:

  • What analytical tools are needed to identify WEFE interlinkages, assess trade-offs, and synergies and support policy interventions that enhance sustainability?
  • How to model the future evolution of the water, energy, and food sectors in a context of global change?
  • How can policy coherence be enhanced from a nexus perspective?
  • How can a nexus approach support the transition to a more circular economy?
  • What indicators are needed to measure nexus performance?
  • What actions are needed to move towards a more systemic approach to water management and improve resilience to climate change.

Prof. Dr. Maria Blanco
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • WEFE nexus
  • Climate change
  • Sustainability
  • Policy coherence
  • Nexus governance
  • Circular bioeconomy
  • Systems approach
  • Nexus dynamics
  • Nexus assessment framework

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 1426 KiB  
Article
Sustainability of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus in Caribbean Small Island Developing States
by Zachary S. Winters, Thomas L. Crisman and David T. Dumke
Water 2022, 14(3), 322; https://doi.org/10.3390/w14030322 - 22 Jan 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3848
Abstract
The sustainability of small island developing states (SIDS) of the Caribbean is fragile because of island size and topography, limited resources, population growth, natural disasters, and climate change. Current and projected sustainability in 2050 were assessed within the framework of the water–energy–food (WEF) [...] Read more.
The sustainability of small island developing states (SIDS) of the Caribbean is fragile because of island size and topography, limited resources, population growth, natural disasters, and climate change. Current and projected sustainability in 2050 were assessed within the framework of the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus for 10 of 16 SIDS with the best databases. Values for each WEF sector below either Falkenmark indicators or regional averages were considered unsustainable (failing) for that sector. Overall, SIDS were considered unsustainable if they failed at least two of three sectors. Projected water sustainability for 2050 was based on population growth and climate change effects on precipitation and per capita water availability. All SIDS failed the food sector, and four failed the energy sector. Water was considered the ultimate control for long-term sustainability. Five SIDS currently fail the water sector, but all but the largest two SIDS are likely to fail this sector by 2050. The role of poor governance and associated lack of long-term planning for population growth, disasters, and climate change, adaptative management strategies, infrastructure investment with an emphasis on nature-based solutions, decentralized energy grids emphasizing renewable energy, and local food production are clearly impediments for reaching sustainability goals for Caribbean SIDS. Full article
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19 pages, 2489 KiB  
Article
Integrating Stakeholder Views and System Dynamics to Assess the Water–Energy–Food Nexus in Andalusia
by Adrián González-Rosell, Maria Blanco and Imen Arfa
Water 2020, 12(11), 3172; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12113172 - 13 Nov 2020
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3628
Abstract
A nexus approach can support the transition to sustainability by addressing trade-offs and pursuing synergies to improve water, energy, and food security. In this paper, a participatory system dynamics model was developed to identify and assess the key interlinkages between water, food, and [...] Read more.
A nexus approach can support the transition to sustainability by addressing trade-offs and pursuing synergies to improve water, energy, and food security. In this paper, a participatory system dynamics model was developed to identify and assess the key interlinkages between water, food, and energy in Andalusia (Spain). A panel of relevant stakeholders contributed to all stages of the model’s development. Further, by calibrating the model to CAPRI-Water projections until 2050, the evolution of the system under a plausible climate scenario, as well as effects of water prices changes, was evaluated. The results revealed a close link between water cost, irrigation water use, energy consumption, and the economic development of agriculture in the region. Large variability was observed in the effects of water pricing policies across crops. This paper concludes that a participatory system dynamics model can help in understanding the nexus synergies and can support the design of more coherent sustainability strategies in the region. Full article
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