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You can find the transcript through this link.
Are you interested in how nature-based solutions can help the water-energy-food challenges?
Debate of the article titled Nature-based solutions addressing the water-energy-food nexus: Review of theoretical concepts and urban case studies from 2022, by Pedro N. Carvalho, David Christian Finger, Fabio Masi, Giulia Cipolletta, Hasan Volkan Oral, Attila Tóth, Martin Regelsberger, and Alfonso Exposito, published in the Journal of Cleaner Production.
This is a great preparation to our next interview with Moein Nodehi in episode 478 talking about the importance of water for other urban services.
Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see the role of nature-based solutions in addressing the complex water-energy-food connection in urban environments. This article advocates for systemic thinking and circularity to overcome technical and governance barriers in urban planning.
Find the article through this link.
Abstract: An increasing world population is projected to increase water, energy and food requirements, three vital resources for humankind. Projected climate change impacts will aggravate water availability, as well as flood risks, especially in urban areas. Nature-based solutions (NBS) have been identified as key concepts to defuse the expected tensions within the Water-Energy-Food (W-E-F) nexus due to their multiple benefits. In this paper, the authors outlined the theories and concepts, analyzed real-life case studies, and discussed the potential of NBS to address the future W-E-F nexus. For this purpose, we performed a systematic literature review on the theories of NBS that address the W-E-F nexus, and we summarized 19 representative real-life case studies to identify the current knowledge gaps and challenges. The quantitative and qualitative data was used to differentiate and discuss the direct and indirect potential benefits of NBS to the W-E-F nexus. The study further expanded on the challenges for the implementation of NBS and highlighted the growing possibilities in the context of circularity and the implementation of NBS in urban planning. It was concluded that the potential impacts of NBS on the W-E-F nexus have been identified, but the quantitative effects have not been analyzed in-depth. Moreover, indicators are mostly single-purpose and not multipurpose, as required to fully characterize the W-E-F nexus and circularity holistically. Overall, there is a need to adopt systemic thinking and promote the multipurpose design of NBS.
Connected episodes you might be interested in:
- No.279R – How ecosystem services drive urban growth: Integrating nature-based solutions
- No.441R – Water reuse: A comprehensive review
- No.442 – Interview with Darren Flynn about water recycling in cities
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