Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, Döppersberg 19, 42103 Wuppertal, Germany.
Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, Döppersberg 19, 42103 Wuppertal, Germany.
J Environ Manage. 2018 Oct 1;223:409-416. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.06.037. Epub 2018 Jun 23.
The water-energy-food (WEF) nexus is increasingly recognised as a conceptual framework able to support the efficient implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite growing attention paid to the WEF nexus, the role that renewable energies can play in addressing trade-offs and realising synergies has received limited attention. Until now, the focus of WEF nexus discussions and applications has mainly been on national or global levels, macro-level drivers, material flows and large infrastructure developments. This overlooks the fact that major nexus challenges are faced at local level. Aiming to address these knowledge gaps, the authors conduct a systematic analysis of the linkages between small-scale energy projects in developing countries and the food and water aspects of development. The analysis is based on empirical data from continuous process and impact evaluations complemented by secondary data and relevant literature. The study provides initial insights into how to identify interconnections and the potential benefits of integrating the nexus pillars into local level projects in the global south. The study identifies the complex links which exist between sustainable energy projects and the food and water sectors and highlights that these needs are currently not systematically integrated into project design or project evaluation. A more systematic approach, integrating the water and food pillars into energy planning at local level in the global south, is recommended to avoid trade-offs and enhance the development outcomes and impacts of energy projects.
水-能源-粮食（WEF） nexus 正日益被视为一个能够支持可持续发展目标（SDGs）有效实施的概念框架。尽管人们对 WEF nexus 的关注日益增加，但可再生能源在解决权衡问题和实现协同作用方面所能发挥的作用却鲜有提及。迄今为止，WEF nexus 的讨论和应用主要集中在国家或全球层面、宏观层面的驱动因素、物质流和大型基础设施的发展。这忽视了一个事实，即重大 nexus 挑战是在地方层面面临的。为了弥补这些知识空白，作者对发展中国家小型能源项目与发展中的粮食和水方面之间的联系进行了系统分析。该分析基于连续过程和影响评估的实证数据，并辅以二手数据和相关文献。该研究初步探讨了如何识别关联以及将 nexus 支柱整合到全球南方的地方一级项目中的潜在好处。该研究确定了可持续能源项目与粮食和水部门之间存在的复杂联系，并强调这些需求目前没有系统地纳入项目设计或项目评估中。建议在全球南方的地方一级能源规划中更系统地纳入水和粮食支柱，以避免权衡，并增强能源项目的发展成果和影响。
