The Food-Energy-Water Nexus by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783030299149
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

In Chap. 1, we reviewed seven different framings of the nexus of FEW systems that allow the analysis of FEW systems in a coupled fashion. In Chap. 2, we showed how a system science approach allows recognition of internal (endogenous) interactions and feedbacks among the food, energy, and water systems, while other variables are included to recognize external (exogenous) drivers on the system.

Planning and development challenges at the nexus of FEW systems are likely to involve other factors such as land-use, urbanization, demographics, and environmental protection. A number of data and modeling platforms have been developed to support the assessment of FEW sector developments under different economic and environmental policy conditions, and to support integrated resource development in the different sectors. Typically, however, these data and modeling tools are designed for different purposes, and linkages between the food, energy, and water sector development are limited. Moreover, the level of technical detail and complexity in the models can preclude their application for upstream sector strategy development, a crucial analytical need in development planning.

In Chap. 2, we also noted that bottom-up and top-down approaches can be envisioned in developing an approach for integrated modeling of FEW systems, particularly with respect to the needed economic analysis. For instance, the output from the different food, energy, and water system models can be incorporated into an economic model that enables us to look at different policy options. This first approach involves bottom-up model coordination that draws on and extends existing system models. A second, top-down approach, can be focused on extending economy-wide computable general equilibrium (CGE) models to account for food, energy, and water as both factors of production and consumption goods, including aggregation of model output to CGE sectors and regions.

A hybrid FEW system model development approach could focus on a more flexible modeling framework that combines the strengths of the bottom-up and top-down approaches. This would recognize the distinctive dynamics of FEW systems and their interactions, and overcome a number of inherent limitations of linking individual sector models or the CGE framework to explore the nexus. These limitations are likely to become increasingly problematic for policy making (and associated analysis) as interactions and pressures increase.

In Chap. 2, we explored FEW systems as complex systems characterized by heterogeneous parts with complex interactions that make them interdependent, coevolving, and subject to distributed control. Unsurprisingly, modeling FEW systems is challenging because interactions are complex and nonlinear, operate at different time and spatial scales, and are characterized by dynamic interactions between physical systems and the institutional and social systems that interact with and manage them.

We also noted that the characteristics of the whole system emerge from the interactions between the components of the system giving rise to stability and changes that are often hard to predict and sensitive to initial conditions. Thus, integrated models of FEW systems can produce insights and discoveries that do not emerge from research on food or energy or water systems alone; the synergy among these components provides pathways to produce new knowledge and practical applications to solve the challenges of FEW sustainability and security.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.