Sustainable Water–Energy–Environment Nexus System and Power

Dear Colleagues,

With the acceleration of urbanization and rapid societal development, coupled research on water resources, energy, and the environment has become crucial for addressing global resource and environmental challenges and achieving sustainable development. Although certain achievements have been made through single-domain management, the relatively independent systems for managing water resources, energy, and the environment have led to resource waste and low efficiency. The main issues include intensified resource competition, where energy development and utilization pollute water resources, and the over-exploitation of water resources further harms the ecological environment; severe environmental pollution, where pollutants generated during energy production and consumption cause significant damage to both water resources and the ecological environment, exacerbating resource shortages; and a lack of systemic synergy, where the absence of effective coordination mechanisms results in resource waste and policy conflicts. Based on the principles of “systems thinking and collaborative management”, it is essential to establish cross-domain coordination mechanisms, promote the coupled governance of water resources, energy, and the environment, and achieve optimized resource allocation and efficient utilization to effectively balance resource use.

Dr. Ken Sun
Dr. Li Li
Topic Editors