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WATER RISKS: MULTI-DIMENSIONAL AND HIGH-IMPACT
Water, energy and land are closely interrelated and resource competition is
expected to increase
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WATER-ENERGY-LAND NEXUS
Domestic
Note:
Source:
Freshwater 1
Ecosystem
Agriculture
Industry
Freshwater used in the production of energy 1
Formation water produced in the production of energy 2
for forest
biodiversity
Treatment
Desalination
Pumping & Transport
Evaporation
Infiltration
Leakages…
Hydropower
Ocean (tidal & wave)
Land 1
Biomass
Biofuel
for agriculture: food / biofuel
Source of energy
Energy use
Water use
for human
infrastructure
Water
Land
Oil & Gas
Hydropower
Biomass
Biofuel
Competition
Water production
Energy 1
Others
Fossils
• Challenging compromises will need to be
made globally and locally. For instance, by
2030, increases in water scarcity could result in
annual losses in global grain production of
~30%, at a time when food production needs to
increase by 70-100%. And the fastest-growing
regional economies will witness a sharp rise in
energy/industrial water demand which is
problematic because they are currently
allocating on average 60-90% water to
agriculture. How to square these circles will
be a key challenge in the decades to come.
• Water and energy are closely interrelated (see
section 6) and their relationship is and will
remain under stress. E.g. strong demand for
one can impact or limit supply of the other,
particularly where there is competition for
energy or water resources. The availability of
water can therefore constrain the development
of the energy sector, and vice versa. Water is
also a potential source of energy.
• In addition, both require extensive land
resources: e.g. growth in agricultural output
results in significant increases both in water
and in energy consumption.
1
Each subsection competes with the others for freshwater supply, contributing to global stress; 2 Oil and gas companies produce a large quantity of
saline formation water during the exploration and production of a field. Mature depleted fields require either water or gas injection to maintain
production (enhanced oil/gas recovery).
European report on development (2012), “Confronting scarcity: Managing water, energy and land for inclusive and sustainable growth”; World
economic forum (2011), "Water security, the water-food-energy-climate nexus“; SBC Energy Institute analysis
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Solar
Geothermal
Nuclear
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