review of metrics, tools and modelling of resource nexus
The nexus addresses the interconnection between demand for and /or production, and use (efficiency) of 2 or more natural resources (water, land, energy, biomass, minerals).
A growing number of conferences and think tank papers nowadays discuss the resource nexus of water and energy and land or food.
This paper needs to include the following:
1. understanding metrics for resource nexus
2. tools and modelling to assess resource nexus (review the existing tools LEAP, WEAP, etc and compile them in a table). Discuss how these tools have been integrated to model the nexus
3. emerging approaches based on cases – discuss current applications of integrated systems approach to model the nexus (maybe at country level, or regional or global level) . For example Bazilian provides example of IAEA’s CLEW bottom-up model which links energy, water, climate and land to test implications for Mauritius of ethanol production, desalination and renewable power over security of supply for water, food and energy. Please find similar studies and discuss their importance
Good starting point as references are
Bazilian M, Rogner H, Howells M, et al. (2011) Considering the energy, water and food nexus: Towards an integrated modeling approach. Energy Policy 39: 7896–7906.
European Commission (2012) Confronting scarcity: Managing water, energy and land for inclusive and sustainable growth. The 2011/2012 European Report on Development. Accessible at: http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/index_en.htm.
Bazilian enumerate modelling methods which can serve as sources of inspiration for the kind of systems thinking required for modelling interlinkages betwern resources (LCA, industrial ecology, exergy analysis etc). But they odn’t include CGE modelling which is very important to include.