PII: S0048-9697(23)07745-8

Abstract

A paper recently published entitled “Water crisis in Iran: A system dynamics approach on water, energy, food, land, and climate (WEFLC) nexus” (Barati et al., 2023). In the mentioned study, a WEFLC model is developed to analyze the water scarcity in Iran. Water crisis, as a complex and challenging issue, has different interdependencies in the context of socio-ecological systems (SES), making it an incorrigible issue. The original paper attempted to assess the water resource dynamics through a systemic lens and explore the impact of various driving forces of water resource planning and management on the water crisis. Iran is a well-studied country, especially around water-related problems. Many interesting facts and findings through the water scarcity analysis in the context of WEFLC are mentioned in the original paper. For instance, it is highlighted that “Mitigation and adaptation policies must be system-oriented and coherent at sectors.” However, the original paper did not benefit enough from the previous studies and the full potential of available data. Moreover, some arguments contradict previous findings and, in some cases, are logically flawed. The original paper barely alludes to the nonlinear functional relationships among the components of WEFLC, the core expected component in complex system analysis. Incorrect problem statement formation, flawed methodology, insufficient information on the applied method, ambiguity in models' coupling or cohesion, lack of rational explanation, and inappropriate interpretations of abnormal findings may even mislead many readers. This paper aims to point out some concerns related to the problems mentioned above in the published study, with suggestions to improve the current study and methodological notes for future research.