Nexus Research Research Articles

A review and discussion on the water-food-energy nexus: Bibliometric analysis

The security of water, food and energy is a prerequisite for the 2030 Sustainability Development Goals of the United Nations. The increasing constraints and conflicts worldwide caused by water scarcity, energy shortages and food insufficiency have forced us to reflect on the security of each element and their interconnections. In the past, the main body of research had divisions between each independent resource element or built interlinkages between dual elements (e.g., water-food, water-energy and food-energy). There was insufficient research that regarded the three elements as one system. Thus, a ternary nexus system still needs to be explored. To improve the understanding of the nexus and facilitate ternary synergic management, the present study performed a bibliometric analysis of the literature related to the water-food-energy nexus over a long time range from 1995 to 2018 and applied the CiteSpace technique for visualization. Based on this, we introduced the history and present state of the relevant research. We found that the water scientist community seemed to be relatively more active than other communities for the nexus research. The development tended to be more interdisciplinary from 2010 to 2016. However, nexus research has not yet become a stable and independent discipline and still suffers from large uncertainty in terms of the mechanism and driving forces of multisystem interactions. We categorized the current nexus research into strong or weak nexus, and illustrated that water, food and energy were inextricably interlinked as inputs or outputs for one another and that the existing close interlinkages (both economically and technologically) formed cross-sector/region cascading effects as one integrated system with a shared future for food, water and energy. These cascading effects indicate important interlinkages of the nexus system; nevertheless, they are still not well studied. Although there is still high uncertainty for future research, future nexus studies should focus on the research scopes, influencing factors and environmental impacts; building a research framework; or exploring the mechanism and driving forces of multielement interactions. The adoption of an ensemble strategy could help make a tradeoff beyond the stereotype of the current single sector regulation and the separation between sectors and could improve the nexus efficiency through conflict coordination and synergy promotion. In sum, highlights of this study are illustrated below: (1) A nexus thinking is required because the increasing conflicts caused by water scarcity, energy shortage and food insufficiency worldwide are forcing us to re-examine the securities of water, energy and food as well as their interlinkages. (2) We propose that nexus research needs to treat the three systems (water, food and energy) as one system (or “system of systems”). This became a new sustainable security perception beyond the stereotype of efficiency research within a single system. It stressed multi-sector and counterintuitive effects. (3) We suggest that a research framework or theoretical consensus should be developed or clarified in terms of the research scope, determinants and ecological (and environmental) impacts of the nexus system. In particular, urban nexus analysis should be explored. (4) We summarized and identified representative determinants of the nexus system. Climate change and international trade were the first two determinants of significance. Finally, the nexus system research of three systems was bound to be mixed together based on dual interactions. In the future, synthesis and tradeoffs of the water, food and energy should be more systematically analyzed to gain in-depth insights into sustainable development.

Confronting governance challenges of the resource nexus through reflexivity: A cross-case comparison of biofuels policies in Germany and Brazil

Resource nexus research gained ground in the last decade prompted by crises of food and water supply throughout the world. In parallel, bioenergy emerged as an important renewable source worldwide, though it entails a large spectrum of externalities and feedback effects, involving key resources, such as water, land, and biodiversity. Making sense of the complex interactions and measuring all these impacts translates into significant challenges for developing and implementing policies based on a nexus perspective, especially amid divergent interests and normative views. This paper brings an empirical contribution by exploring how reflexive governance concepts can help to understand nexus implementation challenges, and possibly overcome them, based on biofuels policies in Brazil and Germany as case studies. It shows that nexus issues play out differently in each country and discusses how the idea of reflexivity could help to address them, supported by deliberation to reflect upon risks usually assigned to large-scale biomass use and, ultimately, about the underlying assumptions of cause-effect relationships. The cases comparison suggests that cognitive and normative aspects that influenced broader deliberation on biofuels will remain relevant for the deployment of biomass as part of negative emissions strategies in the future. Therefore, it reinforces the need to consider such aspects in nexus research and to expand the debate about the role of bioenergy beyond transformations in the energy sector.

A review of water–energy nexus trend, methods, challenges and future prospects

The concept of water–energy nexus has gained global attention since the 2011 Bonn conference in Germany. Water–energy nexus thinking is critical because it supports various life forms on Earth, and its understanding can help in achieving sustainable development goals. In the present day, water and energy are closely intertwined, support and depend on each other for sustainable development in agriculture, urban settings and the industrial sector. Although the water–energy nexus still faces challenges of universal understanding, its adoption within the scientific community has been impressive over the past decades. Over 120 studies were reviewed in line with their aims, scopes, methods and limitations. About 23 case studies were summarized according to their title, objectives and major conclusions, while 21 case studies were cross-examined based on water–energy nexus studies within the urban systems. Models and methods use in water–energy nexus research were also reviewed with emphasis on their strength and weaknesses. The undisputable challenge within the water–energy nexus approach was found to be understanding, as concluded by almost all literature reviewed. Understanding the nexus approach and patterns is a huge limitation for the targeted audience, especially decision and policymakers. Bridging this knowledge gap between water–energy nexus scholars and decision or policymakers could lead to a significant breakthrough in the nexus arena. Another challenge faced by the water–energy nexus approach is the fact that though there are many methods currently employed, yet there is no single agreed or universally acceptable framework that could be used for the water–energy nexus studies globally. For a better understanding of the nexus thinking, more work in relation to understanding, framework and methods needs to be done in the water–energy nexus domain using a holistic approach. It is recommended that further analysis of the interlink ages of water–energy nexus can help mitigate the problem of understanding the system and hence support the sustainable development goals drive.

Capabilities for Transdisciplinary Research. An Evaluation Framework and Lessons from the ESRC Nexus Network

Research framed to address global, grand and societal challenges has brought fresh impetus to calls by funding agencies for transdisciplinary research. Yet the urgency of such calls is not matched by sufficient knowledge of how to foster and maintain the capabilities to do transdisciplinary work. Significant gaps exist in how to cultivate and maintain transdisciplinary methods, practices and the underlying capabilities required to support them. This paper employs a capability approach to construct a realist evaluative framework with which to assess such capabilities. The framework is operationalised through a novel three-stage mixed method procedure which seeks to evaluate transdisciplinary capabilities as they are valued and experienced by researchers themselves. The procedure is tested on a portfolio of five ‘pump-priming’ projects funded by the ESRC Nexus Network +. The paper reports a set of transdisciplinary capabilities valued by nexus research participants and found to varying degrees within each of the research projects. We find that pump-priming investments are sites of research capability development in three ways; through convening cognitive capabilities; cultivating transgressive capabilities; and maintaining backstage capabilities over durations that extend beyond the beginning and end of individual projects. Furthermore, for researchers, it is the transgressive quality of these capabilities that is most salient. Directing greater attention to these different modes of capability development in pump-priming research programmes may be useful in growing and steering research system capacity towards contemporary and future societal needs.

Livestock Farming at the Expense of Water Resources? The Water–Energy–Food Nexus in Regions with Intensive Livestock Farming

Policymaking in the water–energy–food nexus is characterized by complex ecological, social, and economic interdependencies. Nexus research assumes these interactions to be overseen in the respective resource governance resulting in sectoral perspectives contributing to unsustainable outcomes. In Germany, the political priority given to the formation of an internationally competitive livestock sector by means of intensification, specialization and regional concentration has exerted sustained pressure on water and soil resources. The expansion of bioenergy plants promoted by the renewable energy act has exacerbated the situation. Despite the persistency of the ecological challenges, German policymakers only reacted when the European Commission referred Germany to the European Court of Justice. Current policy efforts to tackle the ecological problems are now provoking disruptions in the agrarian sector in regions with high nitrate concentrations in water resources. By combining the social-ecological systems framework with hypotheses derived from nexus research, we explore the interactions between food, water and energy systems and aim at understanding the unsustainable outcomes. We argue that the non-consideration of the complex interdependencies between the agricultural, the water and the energy system in policymaking and the divergence of policy goals constitute a major cause of unsustainable governance.

The competitive relationship between food and energy production for water in China

Abstract Water, Energy and Food (WEF) are key elements of economic and social sustainable development, and present a complex nexus. Existed WEF nexus research is mainly confined to qualitative analyses, and it needs constant improvement and increases quantitative analyses. In China, water security is the most prominent problem in the WEF-nexus, which is manifested in the competitive relationship between food and energy production for water. Therefore, the matter of alleviating water resources stress has become a difficult and hot issue. After improving the existed water footprint accounting method for food and energy production, this study calculated the food water footprints (blue water footprint and green water footprint) in the 31 provinces of mainland China in 2015, as well as the blue water footprints of major energy systems (coal, oil, natural gas and thermal power generation). This study proposed water resources pressure index ( I W S ), water resources pressure contribution rate of food and energy (WCR), water consumption rate of food and energy (n) and competition composite index (CCI) of WEF, which were used to evaluate the consumption of water resources in food and energy production in different regions, and assess the intensity of competition for water resources in food and energy production. The results showed that the national food water footprint in 2015 was 690.8 Gm³, and the blue food water footprint was 287.8 Gm³. The main water-consuming blue energy water footprint was 18.5 Gm³, and coal production accounted for 9.9% and thermal power generation accounted for 87.6%. According to the competition indicators, the competition relationship among the administrative regions of the 31 provinces in mainland China was obtained. For example, 5 provinces had serious competition and 19 provinces had weak competition. The water consumption of the energy industry continues to grow rapidly by economic development. Corresponding measures should be taken according to the different competition levels for water resources.

Becoming FEW Conscious: A Conceptual Typology of Household Behavior Change Interventions Targeting the Food-Energy-Water (FEW) Nexus

The food-energy-water (FEW) nexus presents an opportunity to rethink predominant approaches to household behavior change science. We linked emerging FEW nexus research with existing literature examining household consumption and pro-environmental behaviors. While a large body of work examines the environmental impacts of household life and explores pathways to behavior change for sustainability, the literature lacks studies that test interventions in multiple FEW resource categories, leaving researchers unable to identify tensions and tradeoffs in the household system. To guide this developing field and accumulate findings on household behavior across disciplines, we proposed a conceptual typology that synthesizes interdisciplinary analytic traditions to classify behavioral interventions targeting the household FEW nexus. The typology synthesizes behavioral interventions as active, passive, or structural, and household-specific or non-specific, illustrating six distinct categories: information, tailored information, action, gamification, policy/price change, and material/technology provision. A review of 40 studies that guided the typology identifies four significant lessons for future intervention research: household non-specific information and tailored information work better together, feedback is more effective when it is persistent, price-based interventions (information or incentives) are often ineffective, and material/technology provision is very effective but utilized in few household studies. To push forward household resource consumption science, we advocated for a holistic nexus focus that is rooted in interdisciplinarity, coalition building with stakeholders, and data reporting that facilitates knowledge accumulation.

Grand Challenges Cannot Be Treated in Isolation

If not well understood, linkages among the grand challenges of poverty alleviation, environment protection, and climate mitigation could lead to paralyzed policies and even conflicting consequences. Quick changes need to happen at the institutional, societal, and scientific levels to maximize the synergy of addressing these challenges instead of treating them in isolation.

Water diplomacy and nexus governance in a transboundary context: In the search for complementarities

Growing evidence within nexus research has highlighted the importance for sustainable governance of considering the interdependencies between water, energy, food and the environment, whereas water diplomacy has provided the necessary tools to address water conflicts of a transboundary nature. This paper therefore identifies and evaluates unrealised complementarities between nexus governance and water diplomacy, and discusses the benefits of integrating both for improved transboundary basin management. Two case studies - a wastewater treatment plant within the Jordan's nexus vision and a research project into management of the transboundary Zambezi River Basin - illustrate the identified complementarities and their contribution towards collaborative transboundary natural resources management. On one hand, the consideration of synergies and trade-offs between water, energy and food systems and beyond the river basin scale within nexus governance engages a larger diversity of stakeholders and can help realise more balanced agreements between sectors and hence complement water diplomacy goals. The enriched negotiations arising from a nexus approach can facilitate benefits-sharing in water diplomacy due to the broader exchange of experiences across several natural resources systems. Likewise, international nexus development projects involving a diverse range of sectors and stakeholders can ultimately facilitate peace building through inter-state cooperation and reduce the focus on disputed natural resources. On the other hand, water diplomacy provides tools to address complexity and capture political contexts that overcome the traditional technical and ‘most-rational-solution’ methods. With the application of joint fact finding, value creation and collaborative adaptive management, the added value includes the generation of a shared understanding that embeds politics in decision-making and promotes mutual gains. Further collaboration and on-the-ground experiences between researchers, policy makers and the private sector are needed, to acknowledge and act upon the complementarities of nexus governance and water diplomacy, with the final outcome of promoting cooperation in the management of transboundary resources.

The Food–Energy–Water Nexus: Security, Sustainability, and Systems Perspectives

This special issue of Environmental Engineering Science highlights the role of environmental engineering and science (EES) in interdisciplinary efforts to understand and protect food security, water resources, and sustainable energy. It includes articles that present model frameworks, theoretical constructs, as well as practical applications. Case studies provide a global perspective, as well as drawing attention to considerations of racial and ethnic inequalities, human health, and multiscale governance. As the EES community evaluates research efforts for 21st century challenges, food, energy, and water nexus research can provide interdisciplinary ideas for improving natural resource provisioning across the water, food, and energy spectrum.

Revisiting Mackay Online

Revisiting Mackay Online

A Uniform Practice for Conceptualizing and Communicating Food‐Energy‐Water Nexus Studies

There is growing interest in nexus research: energy‐water, energy‐water‐land, and more recently food‐energy‐water. Motivating this movement is the recognition that the dynamics and feedbacks that constitute these nexuses have been overlooked in the past but are critical to the planning and management of these interacting elements. Formal reviews have identified gaps in current studies. In this commentary, we highlight additional oversights that are hindering integration of findings in nexus studies, notably usage of imprecise terminology to describe analyses, a failure to close the loop by linking production with corresponding waste streams, and exclusion of dynamics linking diverse constituent elements. Equally lacking from current nexus studies is a consistent protocol for communicating the conceptual basis of our studies. To fill this gap, we draw on diverse perspectives and fields to propose a comprehensive and systematic framework that can guide the model conceptualization phase of nexus studies. We also present a standardized documentation practice (similar to one utilized by the agent‐based modeling community) to facilitate communication of nexus studies. These initiatives can improve our ability to account for and communicate the nuanced, food‐energy‐water nexus interactions in a consistent manner, which is necessary to better inform risk analysis and avoid decisions with unintended consequences and hidden costs to society.

MAPPING THE EVOLUTION OF ENERGY‐GROWTH NEXUS: SYNERGIES AND TRADE‐OFFS

AbstractThe study explores the intellectual structure, development and evolution of energy crisis and economic growth research through bibliometric analysis of research articles on energy‐growth nexus from 2000 to 2017 by using Citespace where Gephi is used to analyse the authors collaboration. The analysis incorporates 27,152 references cited by 344 authors, in 1165 articles and from 330 journals. The results of study quantitatively present the most cited articles, authors, countries, institutions and intellectual structure with data visualization in the knowledge domain of energy‐growth nexus. The study categorizes the major research areas in energy‐growth nexus research as carbon dioxide emission, electricity consumption, heterogeneous Panel, real income, renewable energy and financial development. The study discusses emerging trends which provide the future research fronts and intellectual development within the framework of energy‐growth nexus.

A screening approach to improve water management practices in undeveloped shale plays, with application to the transboundary Eagle Ford Formation in northeast Mexico

Hydraulic fracturing (HF) operations have transformed the unconventional energy industry, leading to a global increase in hydrocarbon production. Despite this, only the US, China, Canada and Argentina currently dominate production of unconventional resources, with the majority of shale basins globally remaining unprofitable to develop. An important gap in current water-energy nexus research, which this study addresses, is the assessment of potential water use to satisfy HF procedures in emergent plays. This work presents a screening tool for assessing first-order estimates of water impacts in undeveloped shale plays, testing the approach in the transboundary Eagle Ford (EF) play in northeast Mexico. We couple surface water and groundwater stress indicators derived from global hydrological variables to depict a baseline water stress index. Relative water stress is mapped for proposed blocks to be leased by the Mexican government in the future. We simulate four HF scenarios to assess new total water stress indicators for each block, considering shale production schemes using representative well drilling density (well lateral length(s) per unit area) and HF water intensity (HF water volume per unit lateral length) from existing EF development in Texas. Results suggest that the most feasible management scenario would consider the drilling of ∼1360 new unconventional wells/yr with projected HF water use of ∼57 Mm3/yr (0.7% of the total water withdrawals). The remaining scenarios will largely affect groundwater resources. Though applied to the EF in Mexico, this screening tool can assess water use constraints in emerging unconventional plays globally.

A water-energy nexus review from the perspective of urban metabolism

Urban water-energy (WE) nexus is regarded as highly important in managing resource shortage crisis in city. Integrating this nexus approach with metabolism framework can provide important insights for sustainable urban planning. In this paper, we present a comprehensive review on urban WE nexus from the perspective of urban metabolism. With the objective of less independence and impact on eco-environment, we make an inventory of alternative sources and associated optimized utilization pathways within urban water system context from resource management provision. Meanwhile, consumption patterns of water and energy in buildings, residential sectors and production sectors are also comprehensively reviewed from demand side management provision. In general, almost all the literatures on urban WE nexus have expressed their great ambitions to achieve integrative governance, which can be enhanced through a scientific management of the co-benefits and trade-offs with regard to development pathway planning, infrastructure spatial planning as well as corresponding auxiliary intervention. In addition, future prospects for urban WE nexus research are also proposed from the perspectives of conception development, methodology improvement and target region extension. The results show that: (1) The water-food-energy nexus is a further advance of WE nexus, while the adoption of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can provide a renewed and more holistic paradigm for its conception development by incorporating other environmental, social and economic systems. (2) The conception improvement will also drive the urgent need for a more integrated scientific research tool. (3) Developing countries deserve a higher priority in urban WE nexus network, where both greater challenges and opportunities exist.

What Is Driving the Water-Energy-Food Nexus? Discourses, Knowledge, and Politics of an Emerging Resource Governance Concept

In the context of accelerated global socio-environmental change, the Water-Energy-Food Nexus has received increasing attention within science and international politics by promoting integrated resource governance. This study explores the scientific nexus debates from a discourse analytical perspective to reveal knowledge and power relations as well as geographical settings of nexus research. We also investigate approaches to socio-nature relations that influence nexus research and subsequent political implications. Our findings suggest that the leading nexus discourse is dominated by natural scientific perspectives and a neo-Malthusian framing of environmental challenges. Accordingly, the promoted cross-sectoral nexus approach to resource governance emphasizes efficiency, security, future sustainability, and poverty reduction. Water, energy, and food are conceived as global trade goods that require close monitoring, management and control, to be achieved via quantitative assessments and technological interventions. Within the less visible discourse, social scientific perspectives engage with the social, political, and normative elements of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus. These perspectives criticize the dominant nexus representation for itsmanagerial, neoliberal, and utilitarian approach to resource governance. The managerial framing is critiqued for masking power relations and social inequalities, while alternative framings acknowledge the political nature of resource governance and socio-nature relations. The spatial dimensions of the nexus debate are also discussed. Notably, the nexus is largely shaped by western knowledge, yet applied mainly in specific regions of the Global South. In order for the nexus to achieve integrative solutions for sustainability, the debate needs to overcome its current discursive and spatial separations. To this end, we need to engage more closely with alternative nexus discourses, embrace epistemic pluralism and encourage multi-perspective debates about the socio-nature relations we actually intend to promote.

Fluidized-bed Fenton treatment of imidacloprid: Optimization and degradation pathway

Abstract Environmental impact of pesticides is one of the great concerns being addressed by water-food nexus research. Imidacloprid is one of the most used insecticides as an alternative for carcinogenic organochloride insecticides. Even though Imidacloprid has lower toxicity for mammals, its fate and incomplete degradation by conventional wastewater treatment technologies are worrisome when considering continuous environmental exposure. Application of fluidized-bed Fenton process is proposed as an alternative treatment to mitigate the impact of imidacloprid in water. The consequence of different experimental parameter variations such as Fe2+ catalyst concentration, H2O2 concentration and propylene glycol (a common excipient in commercial pesticides) was evaluated. Experimental results under optimized conditions demonstrate almost complete removal of imidacloprid and abatement of chemical oxygen demand and total organic carbon. The intermediates of oxidized imidacloprid yield during fluidized-bed Fenton treatment were identified using GC–MS and a reaction sequence for imidacloprid degradation was proposed.

Incorporating Social System Dynamics in the Columbia River Basin: Food-Energy-Water Resilience and Sustainability Modeling in the Yakima River Basin

In the face of climate change, achieving resilience of desirable aspects of food-energy-water (FEW) systems already strained by competing multi-scalar social objectives requires interdisciplinary approaches. This study is part of a larger effort exploring “Innovations in the Food-Energy-Water Nexus (INFEWS)” in the Columbia River Basin (CRB) through coordinated modeling and simulated management scenarios. Here, we focus on a case study and conceptual mapping of the Yakima River Basin (YRB), a sub-basin of the CRB. Previous research on FEW system management and resilience includes some attention to social dynamics (e.g., economic and governance systems); however, more attention to social drivers and outcomes is needed. Our goals are to identify several underutilized ways to incorporate social science perspectives into FEW nexus research and to explore how this interdisciplinary endeavor alters how we assess innovations and resilience in FEW systems. First, we investigate insights on FEW nexus resilience from the social sciences. Next, we delineate strategies for further incorporation of social considerations into FEW nexus research, including the use of social science perspectives and frameworks such as socio-ecological resilience and community capitals. Then, we examine a case study of the YRB, focusing on the historical development of the FEW nexus and innovations. We find that a resilience focus applied to the FEW nexus can inadvertently emphasize a status quo imposed by those already in power. Incorporating perspectives from the social sciences, which highlight issues related to inequality, power, and social justice, can address these shortcomings and inform future innovations. Finally, we use causal loop diagrams to explore the role of the social in the FEW nexus, and we suggest ways to incorporate social aspects into an existing stock and flow object-oriented modeling system. This project represents a starting point for a continued research agenda that incorporates social dynamics into FEW system resilience modeling and management in the CRB.

Complexity versus simplicity in water energy food nexus (WEF) assessment tools

Approaching water, energy, and food, as interconnected system of systems, as an alternative to traditional silo-based resources planning and management approaches continues to fall short of expectations of its research-backed benefits. The lack of nexus applications in policy and decision making can be related to numerous factors, with the main barrier being the complex nature of “nexus” systems combined with the disarray of tools attempting to model its interconnections. The paper aims to provide a method for comparing the perceived complexity of nexus tools identified by international organizations as well as primary literature sources. Eight separate criteria are introduced and discussed as measures of a tool “complexity index” and used to score the relative simplicity, or complexity, of a given tool. The result of this process is used to identify trends within existing nexus-assessment tools while guiding potential users towards appropriate tool(s) best-suited for their case study needs and objectives. The main objectives of this paper are to: 1) categorize nexus assessment tools according to a criteria-set which allows for suitable tool selection; 2) identify a method for rapid evaluation of the trade-offs for choosing different tools (simple-complex spectrum). The results of the comparative analysis of the selected nexus assessment tools concur with literature citing a growing gap between nexus research and applications in actual policy and decision-making settings. Furthermore, results suggest that tools receiving higher complexity scores, while being able to capture details to specific resource interactions, are unable to cover a larger number of interactions and system components simultaneously, as compared to lower complexity score tools. Lastly, the outcome of the analysis point towards the need for integrating more preliminary assessment capabilities, i.e. diagnostics, guidelines, and capacity building, into existing tools that improve the communication and translation of model outputs into policy and decision-making.

Topic modeling method for analyzing social actor discourses on climate change, energy and food security

Debates on climate change, energy and food security concerns have underscored the need for new methods and tools to explore and understand the complexity of these relevant issues. In this study, we used unsupervised probabilistic modeling—latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA)—to examine the changes in social policy debates related to ethanol production in Brazil and its relationship with climate change and food security. We analyze a large amount of data obtained from Brazilian newspapers, government and business documents, and the bulletins of nongovernmental organizations and social movements from 2007 through 2017. The results from the LDA application allowed us to identify key topics, detect novel trends, and follow them through time, in addition to exhibiting the limitations encountered in identifying social actor discourses. To overcome these limitations, we combine LDA and discourse analysis to enable the construction of topics, concepts, and discourses of the actors surrounding the issue of this study. The findings verify the utility of these techniques by emphasizing the themes and discourses of the actors involved and by identifying the determinant positions of the Brazilian actors in the discussions on ethanol production and its competition with food security and the contributions of ethanol as a renewable energy source to mitigate climate change. This finding provides insights for water–energy–food nexus research.