Ensuring urban water security through better understanding of the water-energy-food nexus

ASEM Seminar on Sustainable Management of Water Resources in the Context of Urbanization

May 22 2014, Changsha City, Hunan Province, China

Josh Weinberg

Stockholm International Water Institute

About SIWI

The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) is a policy institute that contributes to international efforts to combat the world’s escalating water crisis.

•Office in Stockholm, Sweden

•60 staff members + 10 associated experts

•Non-profit, politically neutral

•Founded in 1991

•Supported by the Swedish government, City of Stockholm and founders of the Stockholm Water Prize.

•Programmes and activities also funded by multi- and bilateral donors and international organisations/agencies.

World Water Week in Stockholm

• The annual meeting place for the planet’s most urgent water-related issues

• Over 2,500 participants, representing experts, practitioners, decision makers and business innovators from around the globe

• Exchange ideas, foster new thinking and develop solutions

Thematic areas

– Water governance

– Transboundary water management

– Climate change and water

– Water, food and energy nexus

– Water economics

Introduction to CEWP

• Promotes policy dialogue, joint research and business development in the water sector between EU and China.

• Activities are organized within three work areas o Rural water challenges

o Urban water challenges

o River Basin and Flood Management

Ministry of Water Resources of the People’s Republic of China and the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, represented by the Danish Minister of the Environment launched CEWP at the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille, France, March 2012 by signing of a Joint Statement.

Work Area 3 River Basin and Flood Risk Management

Work Area 2 Urban Water Challenges

Work Area 1 Rural Water Challenges

POLICY DIALOGUE

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Structure

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Ensuring Urban Water Security: Water-Energy-Food Nexus

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Programme Objectives:

• Promote opportunities for business and policy innovation in water, energy, food nexus

• Exchange between Chinese and European authorities on state of the art approaches and technologies

• Improve methods for analyzing synergies and conflicts between the major water uses of domestic, industrial, agricultural and energy production in developing urban areas

• Improved policy coherence between water and energy in China and the EU

Several activities underway or under development:

• Taihu Basin Urban Water Security Programme

• Managing water risks in China’s energy sector

• Managing energy risks in China’s Urban Water Sector

• Sustainable and intensive agriculture for urban areas

Water-Energy-Food Nexus

Nexus snapshots

•Global water demand (in terms of water withdrawals) is projected to increase by some 55% by 2050 (WWDR 2014)

•Global energy demand to grow by one-third by 2035 - with fastest growth in Asia at 2.3 per cent per annum. (IEA 2010)

•US & EU- 40-50 % water withdrawal for energy (Granit & Lindström, 2011).

•Food production and supply chains use 30% of total global energy demand (UNECE 2013)

Global trends and drivers - Increasing need for water, energy, food

Global trends and drivers - Increasing food demand – available land area for agriculture is reducing

FAO, 2011

Global trends and drivers - Water scarcity: Aggregated global water supply gap, estimated to be 40% by

2030 assuming no efficiency gains

More than 75% of river flows are allocated to agriculture, industries or domestic purposes

Water resources can be abundant but lack of investment makes them unavailable for exploitation

Increased climate variability intensifies existing problems

Water insecurity is the greatest resource risk to global economy

1. Energy production

•Water use in all steps of the thermal energy value chain

•Water storage for hydropower

•Water for bio fuels

2. Primary production

•Agriculture

(irrigation & rainfed)

•Forestry

•Fisheries

3. Industry & urbanization

• Domestic use

• Industrial use

• Waste water treatment

• Tourism

4. Environmental services

• Water quality management

• Biodiversity & conservation

• Flood & drought protection

• Navigation

Water-Energy-Food Nexus Water has multiple uses – all key for sustainable economic growth

Urbanization is driving demand for energy, food and water

60-80% of commercial energy consumption in cities Water needs for energy production will grow at twice the rate of energy demand. Urban lifestyles increase consumption of water intensive foods

Common Urban Nexus Challenges in China, Europe, and Asia

- Growing water and energy demand

resulting from urban growth

- Coherence of energy and water policy

- Linking resource management to

spatial planning

- Growing water demand for energy

production

- Need for optimisation of urban

infrastructure for water and energy

efficiency

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- Technical knowledge gap

on water risks in

unconvential energy

Opportunities for

Technical and Policy Innovations

• Wastewater and food waste to energy

• Less water for energy

• Less energy for water

• Modeling and data

• Reduce waste and improved resource efficiency

Practical Approaches to Nexus Planning

Conclusions: Policy and research priorities

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The water-energy-food nexus approach is vital for sustainable intensification. Resource accounting and policy mapping of those sectors, leading to analyze and clarify the trade-offs and synergies across sectors. Coordinate energy and water planning for cities. In the Chinese context, for example, this would require integrating the strategies for achieving the energy efficiency targets and the “three red-lines” of water resource management. Identify practical institutional and governance structures that promote the implementation of nexus strategies and capacity building

Link to spatial planning and with local policy makers. Assessment and diagnois of physical, monetary and distributive impacts of competing water uses provides planners relavant information for decision making. Use the ‘nexus lens’ in research and innovation strategies. By outlining the key resources conflicts faced across sectors; and potential efficiency gains from the application of specific technologies, a nexus approach can point to where innovations can be expanded and developed.

Thank you – and welcome to World Water Week 2014!

Energy and Water