Water, Energy & Food Security Nexus

Agriculture accounts for around 70% of global freshwater withdrawals and poor management practices can pollute supplies. Water also plays a central role in energy production: in the USA, for example, half of all freshwater withdrawals are used for power generation while in countries that rely heavily on hydropower drought can lead to interruptions in electricity supply. At the same time, large amounts of energy are needed to fertilise and transport crops, and to pump water to drier regions. Increasing use of desalination to combat water scarcity will also place a greater demand on energy resources. Understanding this water-food-energy nexus is fundamental to developing effective and integrated solutions that balance these competing demands.

Water Futures is considering the water-food-energy nexus in all its activities and aims to implement integrated solutions addressing all three sectors.

Read more about the Water, Energy and Food Security Nexus