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| Christopher A. Scott, PhD Professor, Water Resources and Policy, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA Milano |
Abstract |
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The current accelerated growth in demand for energy globally is confronted by water-resource limitations and hydrologic variability linked to climate change. Simultaneously, the energy requirements for water-resources adaptation to hydroclimatic variability will drive expansion of electrical power generation. Under current conditions in many world regions, water-for-energy and energy-for-water dynamics produce a negative, vicious-cycle nexus. Emerging, energy-related water scarcity flashpoints include the world’s largest, most diversified economies (Mexico, Brazil, India, China, and USA among others), while physical water scarcity continues to pose limits to energy development in the Middle East and small-island states. Global and country-level assessments raise the following conclusions: a) technological obstacles are surmountable, b) resource conservation is inevitable, driven by financial limitations and efficiency gains, and c) institutional arrangements play a pivotal role in the virtuous water-energy nexus. |
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