Abstract
The water and energy sectors are fundamentally linked. In Jordan, especially in the face of a changing climate, the water–energy nexus holds a number of challenges but also opportunities. A key point in exploring synergies is the identification of such, as well as the communication between the water and energy sectors. This paper promotes the importance of using a co-creative approach to help resolve opposing views and assessing stakeholder preferences in the context of the water–energy nexus in Jordan. A computer-supported, co-creative approach was used to evaluate stakeholder preferences and opinions on criteria and future scenarios for the energy and water sector in Jordan, identifying common difficulties and possibilities. The criteria describe socio-ecological aspects as well as techno-economic aspects for both systems. Discussing a set of preliminary scenarios describing possible energy and water futures ranked under a set of sector relevant criteria, a consensus between both stakeholder groups is reached. The robustness of results is determined, using a second-order probabilistic approach. The results indicate that there are no fundamental conflicts between the energy and water stakeholder groups. Applying a participatory multi-stakeholder, multi-criteria framework to the energy-water nexus case in Jordan promotes a clear understanding of where different stakeholder groups stand. This understanding and agreement can form the basis of a joint water–energy nexus policy used in the continued negotiation process between and within national and international cooperation, as well as promoting and developing acceptable suggestions to solve complex problems for both sectors.
Highlights
The water and energy sectors are interconnected and fundamentally linked
This understanding and agreement can form the basis of a joint water–energy nexus policy used in the continued negotiation process between and within national and international cooperation, as well as promoting and developing acceptable suggestions to solve complex problems for both sectors
The results described here are the outcome of stakeholders’ interactions at a workshop with relevant parties of the Jordanian water and energy sectors such as the Water Authority of Jordan (WAJ), National Electric Power Co (NEPCO), Energy & Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC), Aqaba Water Company (AWC), Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR), Ministry of Water and Irrigation (MWI), and Yarmouk Water Company (YWC) as well as scientific partners such as University of Jordan (UJ) and international participants such as Europa Universität Flensburg (EUF) and International Institute for Applied systems analysis (IIASA) in Amman, Jordan in October 2019
Summary
The water and energy sectors are interconnected and fundamentally linked. Energy generation requires water. The first generation of nexus research focused on quantitative input-output modelling to empirically demonstrate interdependencies and options for optimizing resource management; currently, the number of scientific works on how nexus approaches are conditioned by property rights regimes, economic growth strategies based on resource extraction, and the ability to externalize environmental costs to other regions and states [5]. It became and is becoming increasingly necessary to respond to the production and consumption trade-offs, which have emerged with the increase of scarcity and competition over the last decades. Prerequisite to technological solutions, infrastructure developments, or even legal frameworks
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