Abstract
The concept of the Water–Energy–Food nexus (WEF), as documented by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), suggests that the three resources are thoroughly interrelated, shaping a complicated web of interlinkages. Perceiving the three commodities as an interdependent variable system, rather than isolated subsystems is a step towards a more holistic approach, and thus a prerequisite to introducing a sustainable scheme for better managing resources. In this work, the well-documented WEF nexus is broadened to a five-dimensional nexus, also involving land use and climate. A methodology for drawing the interrelations among the five dimensions and unreeling the complicated system of direct and indirect interlinkages is given. The intensity of interlinkages among nexus components is initially assessed through a three-point typology with interlinkage scoring corresponding to resource use in Greece. The typology is used and is further expanded to quantify successfully all interlinkages among nexus components with a proposed heuristic algorithm. Results are used to create the cross-interlinkage matrix that identifies food as the most influencing resource and water as the resource mostly influenced by other nexus elements. Results show that indirect interlinkages of multiple resources can be very significant and should not be ignored when planning nexus-coherent policy initiatives and investments in different sectors, in order to promote resource efficiency.
Highlights
Even though the idea of holistic management of natural resources is old, the complex interrelations among different resources are not yet well characterized
Water–Energy nexus and Water–Energy–Food (WEF) Nexus [4], which become crucial as the stresses of overpopulation and climate change are intensified
For the aforementioned example, a change in land use (∆L), such as a shift into agricultural land, will cause a shift in water (∆W), by increasing agricultural water demand. This is one of multiple direct paths through which a shift in land use would cause a shift in water
Summary
Even though the idea of holistic management of natural resources is old, the complex interrelations among different resources are not yet well characterized. Inclusive and holistic management of different resources in respect to the nexus concept should be introduced to boost resource efficiency and diminish environmental threats and ecological deterioration [2]. Few decades have passed since the nexus idea was introduced in the sustainable management glossary, it has mainly gained the attention of scientists and policy makers mostly in the last couple of decades [3], regarding the interconnections in the. The nexus has been broadened to involve other dimensions [5], resources and/or disciplines, such as soil, land use, climate, waste, Water 2019, 11, 306; doi:10.3390/w11020306 www.mdpi.com/journal/water
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