There are important linkages between water, food, energy and sustainability. We call these links a nexus
Energy is key to national security in terms of demand, assets and supply.
Sustainable agriculture is important in terms of future generations health and well being
Food is key to national security in terms of demand, assets and supply.
Water is key to national security in terms of demand, assets and supply.
Sustainable agriculture is agriculture that meets the needs of today without compromising future generations to meet their own needs
There are different efficiencies in water use through variations in irrigation and technology
Environmental resources such as water resources and soil fertility are critical in supporting sustainability
Water is an essential input to crop yield and pastoral health
More than 70% of the world's freshwater use is in agriculture.
Vast amounts of oil and gas are used as raw materials for energy in the manufacture of fertilizers and pesticides
Oil is an essential input into agriculture for more intensive farming systems
Environmental protection supports livelihoods, incomes, health and well being
Oil supports the, mechanization, and transportation
The majority of freshwater is extracted from groundwater storages
Pesticides and fertilizer use leaches into local soils and water storages
Most water is lost through transpiration, evaporation and leakages
Petroleum products are used in packaging of fished produce
Oil is is used in the transportation of food from source to market, commonly measured through food miles
Agricultural produce contains a water footprint e.g. 2500 liters of water is used to produce one hamburger
Forest and upland regions are vital catchments for the capture and storage of freshwater
Water is also used in the production of oil for machinery
Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are a byproduct of intensive oil based farming systems
Innovative techniques can be used to store water behind large scale dams or run-off capture tanks
Water is used in the production of packaging
Different agricultural systems produce food with varying intensity and commercial output
Water is pumped from ground water storages, lakes and rivers
Food is transported to both local and global markets
Quality controls and wastage means over one third of all food for humans never gets eaten
There is huge disparity in the availability of food for consumption between places
NEXUS EXTENSION (Security Issues)
Biofuels production fuels land grabs and impacts food security
Food production impacts on water availability through over irrigation & groundwater extraction
Energy production impacts on water quality e.g. pollution of groundwater supplies and drainage basins
National Enenergy security is fundamental to the geopolitics of countries, including the US and UK.
By 2030 it is predicted that we will require 30% more freshwater
Increased water insecurity will lead to widespread displacement and tension from the village to the global scale
3 billion more middle-class people will demand more meat
Energy infrastructure such as rigs and dams displaces people and impacts on food supplies
Much of the population growth and the middle income growth will occur in countries that are already water-scarce.
Poorly regulated energy production impacts on water quality and increases water and land insecurity
Climate Change is causing rapid loss of over 90% of alpine glaciers worldwide potentially impacting the water supply of over 2 billion people
The business as usual mentality of world leaders has led to rapid increases in green house gases that will have irreversible impacts on our climate
Water infrastructure, such as large dam construction & use impacts on fish stocks
Pastoral and arable food production needs clean water
Clean water supply requires energy for treatment, pumping & distribution as well as for biofuel growth.
As the Arctic becomes more accessible oil and gas become more economically viable further extending our use of carbon fuels
Our world connects people, landscapes and ecosystems
Climate change is likely to continue to shrink the Arctic ice sheet opening up new shipping routes that will create opportunities and geopolitical challenges
Meat-rich diets require far more land than traditional diets
Climate change means that rainfall & water availability are likely to become more uncertain.
Food production impacts on water quality through agro-chemical runoff & salinization
By 2030 it is predicted that we will require 50% more food
2017 sees 2 billion people worldwide in the middle income groups demanding consumer good with high energy footprints
Climate change will intensify droughts and increase their frequency threatening food security for over 2 billion people
Water infrastructure impacts on land use
Fossil fuel extraction impacts on food supply and food prices.
Energy production needs water e.g. nuclear cooling
More than 70% of the world's freshwater use is in agriculture
Climate change is likely to increase the frequency and intensity of storms, leading increased flooding, coastal erosion and displacement
Climate Change is likely to continue to shrink the Arctic ice sheet making oil and gas reserves more accessible and a potential reason for tension.
NEXUS
(Range of Extensions)
Natural Resource Conflict escalate Dafur crisis. Increasing pressure on land and other natural resources in Darfur is adding fuel to the fire of ethnic tensions in the region
Climate Change forced 1 million Africans from their homes in 2015
Bangladesh has been rocked by the recent flaring up of decades old ethnic tensions, as Bengali settlers set fire to hundreds of indigenous homes.
World’s largest offshore wind farm to be built off the Yorkshire coast, UK, in effort for low carbon economy and energy security
Shell sued in UK for 'decades of oil spills' in Nigeria
More than 40,000 Nigerians demand action from Shell to clean up oil spills that have devastated communities for decades
Adivasis constitute 9.08 percent of India’s population. According to an Indian government working group, 40-50 percent of those displaced by large scale dam projects are Adivasis.
Five small Pacific Ocean islands lost already to rising sea levels
Persistent drought leads to major food security crisis in Somalia, 2017
China’s huge dam construction on the Upper Mekong will threaten Southeast Asia as water scarcity build downstream
With temperatures rising four times faster than anywhere else in Asia, the Tibetan Plateau might soon lose most of its glacier and permafrost, affecting water supplies throughout Asia.
Russia plays geopolitical Gazprom game. The planned pipeline to bring Russian gas direct to Germany under the Baltic Sea has drawn criticism from the US - it will increase Europe’s reliance on Russian gas.
Increasing conflict over shared water reserves at the community scale is threatening food security in the poorest regions of the world.
Researchers estimate that cereal harvests decreased by an average of 9% during droughts and heat waves between 1964 and 2007, with the word effects seen in North America, Europe and Australia.
We now know that many biofuel crops actually increase overall emissions. At the same time, they damage biodiversity and hurt some of the world’s poorest people by pushing up food prices.
