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The Food-Energy-Water Nexus: Opportunities in the Tropics Ximing Cai, Kevin Wallington Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Connected Food, Energy and Water Issues In the Tropics • • • • • • Agricultural land expansion vs. deforestation Irrigation vs. water and energy requirement Biofuel vs. water and environment Hydropower vs. fishery Hydropower vs. CO2 emissions Charcoal (a source of cooking energy) vs. food production vs. water • Impact of land use change for food and energy on hydrology • Agricultural land expansion vs. deforestation “IN THE TROPICAL DOMAIN, net annual LOSS OF FOREST area from 2000 to 2010 was about 7 MILLION HECTARES and net annual INCREASE IN AGRICULTURAL LAND area was more than 6 MILLION HECTARES” (FAO 2016) • Irrigation vs. water and energy requirement • Irrigation is expected to increase considerably due to land expansion and climate change especially in arid and semi-arid tropical regions (Zabel, et al. 2014) • Increasing pressure on the supply of both water and energy (for pumping) • Biofuel vs. water and environment • Agricultural land is expanding to meet demand for biofuels in countries such as Brazil, Indonesia, and Malaysia (Gibbs et al, 2011) • Global resilience declines when converting tropical forest to savanna (a critical transition) • It can take several decades or longer to reach carbon payback time for biofuels that are grown at the expense of forests (Gibbs et al. 2008) Hirota et al. 2011 • Hydropower vs. fishery • Hydropower is a major source of electricity in Brazil and has growing potential in many tropical regions • Debate about “more hydropower and less fishery” • A decline of 70% in measures of tropical freshwater biodiversity since 1970 (WWF’s Living Planet Report 2012) Planned dams in tropical regions and vulnerable fish species (Winemiller et al. 2016) • Hydropower vs. CO2 emissions • Traditionally, hydropower recognized as a “clean energy” in terms of GHG emissions • Emissions from decomposition in reservoirs can be significantly higher than previously believed (Fearnside, 2012; Winemiller et al., 2016) • The initial surge in GHG emissions due to decomposition of the inundated upstream vegetation may outweigh the GHG savings of fossil fuel reduction (Gunkel, 2009). • Charcoal vs. food production vs. water • Charcoal is recognized as a key source of energy in the rural areas of tropical countries • Charcoal production contributes about 7% to total forest cover loss in tropical countries. • Emissions of GHGs from charcoal production in tropical ecosystems in 2009 are estimated at 71.2 million t for carbon dioxide and 1.3 million t for methane (Chidumayo and Gumbo 2012) • Impact of land use change on hydrology Potential effects of deforestation on tropic hydrology Wohl et al 2012 Teleconnections between Amazon tropical forest and regions across the globe. Rockstram et al 2009 Food-Energy-Water Nexus Framework What does nexus represent? • Resource to each other (input/output relation) • Connected processes • Institutions and markets with overlays What does nexus end with? Biggs et al. 2015 • Trade-offs among different stakeholders/sectors • Synergies • Joint solutions for co-benefits Water-Food-Energy-Environment Water FEE! Research Opportunities Tropics are relatively unstudied region • Fundamental earth system processes • Technology innovation and system design • Policy reform • FEW system resilience • Monitoring • Interdisciplinary studies • International collaboration Wohl et al 2012 Filling the Knowledge Gaps in fundamental earth system processes that Earth system processes in the tropics region are characterized by greater magnitude, inter-annual variability, and spatial gradients than those generally found elsewhere (Wohl et al, 2012, Bronell and Bruijnzeel, 2005). • Land use pattern Water flow regime, nutrient dynamics fishery habitats, biodiversity • Land and water use thresholds in catastrophic shifts in ecosystems • Sensitivity to and uncertainty in climate change and socioeconomic development Technologies for the Co-Benefits of F, E and W Harnessing renewable energy sources Use of solar power for groundwater pumping (Omer 2001) Potential for wind power in Brazil (Dutra and Szklo 2008) Use renewable energy for food storage Desalinization Environmentally enhanced hydropower Policies for the Co-Benefits of F, E and W • Balancing economic interests and ecological sustainability • Accounting for social equity, especially for underrepresented groups • The role of international food market and prices • Targeting local contexts and priorities, e.g., food security focus in tropical African countries zero-deforestation goal in tropical South American countries Shift from individual food, energy or water centric attempts to coordination of F, E, and W goals can make the tropics more sustainable! Thanks! Questions?