The Water, Food, Energy and Climate Nexus

Median estimates all world population in 2050 are 9.6 billion people, of whom 70% will be living in cities. This represents an increase of 2.3 billion on current figures with forecasts of an increase in demand for 70% for food, and 40% in energy by 2030, with similar figures for energy. As we will also see in my review of A Future Beyond Growth, these projections should be ringing alarm bells in terms of the adequacy of our current approaches to population, food, water and energy. The book contains a foreword by the Prince of Wales, who is well aware of the need to move towards a sustainable and circular economy. The main topics cover the history of the Millennium Development Goals and their transition into Sustainable Development Goals that applies to all economies, urban challenges, natural resource security, the various nexuses between key elements and the potential for corporate stewardship. It is good to see a growing awareness of systemic interconnectedness between critical factors, as illustrated in a couple of charts. Central to these is well-being in terms of society, economy and environment, which means water, food and energy security. Without a more sophisticated understanding of feedback loops, policy responses are likely to remain inadequate. In addition to the Nexus of the title, other key factors include education, gender, health, overall terrestrial ecosystems and infrastructure. Each of these areas has its own specialists, but they frequently lack any cross-disciplinary understanding and remain in their own silos. We badly need the kind of analysis set out in this significant book.