The Food-Energy-Water (FEW) Nexus - Implications for Urban Sustainability
Cities in China, India and the US face continued issues of water scarcity which will likely be exacerbated by the effects of climate change. Many of these cities also rely on far-reaching supply chains to procure enough food, energy, and water to support urban activity.
While cities are aware of their water demands, the water resources they rely on generally come from non-local sources, particularly in the western US and India. Additionally, up to 47% of water withdrawn in the US is used by the electricity sector, while 70% of global freshwater consumption is attributed to the agricultural production. Therefore, cities must consider the needs of these sectors in order to develop effective strategies to manage the water resources they rely on. In particular, I focus on the cases of Delhi and California to examine the implications of the FEW nexus on both the regional supply chains and urban water demands in order to determine what cities can do to secure their future water supplies.
