Sustainability of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus in Caribbean Small Island Developing States

Zachary S Winters,Thomas L Crisman,David T Dumke

doi:10.3390/w14030322

Zachary S Winters, Thomas L Crisman + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/w14030322

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Journal: Water	Publication Date: Jan 22, 2022
Citations: 10	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of South Florida, University of Central Florida

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) 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.

Highlights

The three primary factors controlling the sustainability of ecosystems and societies have been incorporated into the WEF nexus, an important paradigm for decisionmakers to assess sustainability and implement policy [1]
Since its inception in 2011, the WEF nexus has evolved to emphasize models that both strengthen the understanding of each WEF sector and identify and quantify interrelationships among sectors and their sensitivity to outside forcing functions [5,6,7,8,9,10]
The resilience of small islands to changes in the WEF nexus is controlled at the landscape/watershed level [19,20,21]

Summary

Introduction

The three primary factors controlling the sustainability of ecosystems and societies (water, energy, food) have been incorporated into the WEF nexus, an important paradigm for decisionmakers to assess sustainability and implement policy [1]. Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations by ensuring cost-effective, efficient, and sustainable resource use that incorporates adaptive management practices to adjust WEF to respond to short- and long-term resource fluctuations and human utilization [2,4]. Small islands are likely to be the most sensitive to changes in the WEF nexus despite the often-great diversity of landscapes relative to their limited area. The resilience of small islands to changes in the WEF nexus is controlled at the landscape/watershed level [19,20,21]. Adaptive management based on continuous monitoring of WEF components is critical [8,17,19,22]

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