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The food‐energy‐water nexus: Transforming science for society
Author(s) -
Scanlon Bridget R.,
Ruddell Ben L.,
Reed Patrick M.,
Hook Ruth I.,
Zheng Chunmiao,
Tidwell Vince C.,
Siebert Stefan
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1002/2017wr020889
Subject(s) - nexus (standard) , sustainability , government (linguistics) , business , environmental economics , science policy , environmental resource management , political science , engineering , economics , public administration , biology , embedded system , ecology , linguistics , philosophy
Emerging interdisciplinary science efforts are providing new understanding of the interdependence of food, energy, and water (FEW) systems. These science advances, in turn, provide critical information for coordinated management to improve the affordability, reliability, and environmental sustainability of FEW systems. Here we describe the current state of the FEW nexus and approaches to managing resource conflicts through reducing demand and increasing supplies, storage, and transport. Despite significant advances within the past decade, there are still many challenges for the scientific community. Key challenges are the need for interdisciplinary science related to the FEW nexus; ground‐based monitoring and modeling at local‐to‐regional scales; incorporating human and institutional behavior in models; partnerships among universities, industry, and government to develop policy relevant data; and systems modeling to evaluate trade‐offs associated with FEW decisions.