Abstract
There is limited focus on the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus approach at the local scale, particularly considering the social contexts of neglected territories. To contribute to this debate, we propose a framework to address this topic in an area in Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, as a case study. A survey was conducted regarding residents’ perceptions, choices, practices and access to water, energy, and food. The interviews highlighted important topics on the WEF nexus. As a result, a set of 12 indicators with data available on official datasets was proposed, reflecting residents’ perceptions of WEF safety. For each indicator, thresholds were established based mainly on the goals defined by Brazilian policies across different spheres—federal, state, or municipal. Thus, each indicator is multi-scale and integrative, since it comprises a local perspective (from the interview results), an official perspective (from the official databases), and a threshold. The results showed problems with energy and water supply, and the presence of home cropping, contrasting with residents who do not have access to basic food and experience extreme poverty. All these elements drew attention to the possibility of applying the WEF nexus approach, searching for feasible solutions which can support better decisions and governance in neglected territories.
Highlights
In the face of global climate change and urbanization, efforts to promote the rational use of resources and sustainable development in cities are urgent and necessary
Energy, and food are fundamental resources for human well-being. When they are distributed unequally across cities, it can result in conditions of water stress, energy poverty and food deserts
In our study we presented a case study about a typical neglected neighborhood in Brazil
Summary
In the face of global climate change and urbanization, efforts to promote the rational use of resources and sustainable development in cities are urgent and necessary. Exponential population growth and industrialization resulting from global socioeconomic transformations are contributing to the expansion of cities that put pressure on natural resources, compromising both their availability and quality [1,2]. By 2030, two-thirds of the world’s population will live in cities, with most of this population in urban slums or irregular settlements [3]. Often, these neglected territories comprise precarious constructions located in peripheral regions, lacking infrastructure and conditions of habitability, as they are both the cause and consequence of social and environmental problems [4]. Some factors that contribute to the origin of these territories include the dispute over access to urban land in an increasingly capitalist economy, which contributes to the concentration of private property, generating a frame of spatial segregation, marked by social and environmental inequalities [5]
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