Journal
RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS
Volume 150, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2021.111485
Keywords
Water-energy extended nexus; Sustainable development goals; Environmental footprints; Water-energy-carbon nexus; Water-energy-waste nexus; Water-energy-pollution nexus; Water-energy-land nexus
Funding
- project Sustainable Process Integration Laboratory - SPIL - EU CZ Operational Programme Research, Development and Education [CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/15_003/0000456]
- Bei-jing Normal University, Beijng, China
- Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [72061127004]
- State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China [2021-TS-01]
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This study examines the importance of water-energy extended nexuses for environmental sustainable development goals, highlighting the confusion and substitution of specific terms with more attractive terms like nexus. Methodologies need to be adequately integrated or expanded to assess diverse water-energy extended nexuses and evaluate resource flows in multiple regions and sectors for impacts on environment and economy.
Challenges of high energy efficiency, water saving, low-carbon emissions, waste management and food saving have been considerable pressures on both regional and global sustainable development. This paper reviews the water-energy extended nexuses (e.g. food, greenhouse gases, waste, pollution, land and others) from the perspective of relationship and practicability in relieving the challenges towards environmentally-related sustainable development goals. A specific issue identified is that with the popularity of nexus and extension beyond resources nexus, the positioning and identity of nexuses become ambiguous. In most cases, nexus is a more attractively sounding term to replace specific expressions such as multi-criteria optimisation, trade-offs, correlation/relationship, input-output assessment, material flow analysis, and integrated design. The methodologies (e.g. input-output analysis and life cycle assessment) entail needing to be adequately integrated or expanded for diverse water-energy extended nexuses. It is crucial for evaluating resource flows in multiple regions and sectors and assessing the associated environment-economic impacts. A standardised understanding like establishing life cycle assessment and even more quantified footprints could ensure that the nexus would not fall as the group of a buzzword and contribute to sustainable development goals. This study serves as a stepping stone to establish quantified characteristics or components as eligibility to classify as nexus approaches and studies.
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