The energy-water-food conundrum

Do we really understand--or think sufficiently about--the "Energy-Water-Food Nexus""paradigm shift" that the world could be facing, where higher prices for commodities and resources are here to stay for the 21st century. He highlighted the inextricable and intricate relationships among energy, water and food--which demand that they are addressed in an inter-related way.

(Picture credit: EMA)

Dato Sri' Peter Chin Fah Kui, Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water, Malaysia, discussed the significance of this crucial nexus in the context of sustainable development.

He said there is a "definite intertwining" between energy, food and water that manifests itself in several ways. Energy and water, for instance, are both significant inputs into agriculture. Water is needed to generate electricity, especially in large-scale hydropower projects. Biofuels production competes with food crops for land use.

Governments and businesses are exploring the new frontiers and challenges of energy, water, and food. Malaysia's Minister for Energy, Green Technology and Water, Dato' Sri Peter Chin and Shell's Executive Vice-President Ms Ruth Cairnie offer their perspectives.

The challenge, though, is that most of us do not see the nexus even though we recognise separate problems of energy security, food security and water security. If the business-as-usual approach of ignoring such inter-linkages continues, the minister warned that "the future will be quite bleak".

He said there is no one-size-fits-all solution. There are, however, sustainable practices that should be adopted. The Minister advocated supporting green technology with the eventual goal of replacing fossil fuels. This would be through a coordinated approach involving government policy, civil society participation and active involvement of businesses. "The total sum of all these efforts" can overcome most of the challenges posed by the energy-water-food nexus.

The Minister said Malaysia was on the path towards a "green economy", though still at a rudimentary stage. For instance, Malaysia has voluntarily adopted a target of reducing its carbon intensity by 40 percent come 2020, relative to 2005 levels.

Ruth Cairnie, Executive Vice-President of Strategy and Planning, Royal Dutch Shell, said a key driver putting pressure on energy, water and food resources is the extraordinary growth of cities, principally in Asia. Based on forecasts, she said that by 2050, "three of out of four people will be living in cities--the equivalent of "a new Singapore every month for the next 40 years".

Population growth and changing diets demanding an increase in food production will in turn create additional stress on energy and water resources, she said. "One kilogramme of beef could require up to 1,500 litres of water," she told the session.

Ms Cairnie stated that "by 2030, global demand of water, energy and food is forecast to increase by 30, 40 and 50 percent, respectively". She said policymakers are faced with an "enormous set of challenges" to address this issue given economic uncertainties and the complex linkages between these resources.

Professor Koh stressed that the energy-water-food nexus needs to be explored more deeply to realise both "the synergy among them" and the "tradeoff between them". He pointed to the need for a more inter-related regulatory framework which would create a more holistic context and understanding of these issues.

BY : Kamalakannan S/O Soundararajan and Nahim Bin Zahur Energy Analysts, Energy Studies Institute