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Anatomy of a buzzword: The emergence of ‘the water-energy-food nexus’ in UK natural resource debates

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  • Cairns, Rose
  • Krzywoszynska, Anna

Abstract

The existence of a water-energy-food ‘nexus’ has been gaining significant attention in international natural resource policy debates in recent years. We argue the term ‘nexus’ can be currently seen as a buzzword: a term whose power derives from a combination of ambiguous meaning and strong normative resonance. We explore the ways in which the nexus terminology is emerging and being mobilised by different stakeholders in natural resource debates in the UK context. We suggest that in the UK the mobilisation of the nexus terminology can best be understood as symptomatic of broader global science-policy trends, including an increasing emphasis on integration as an ideal; an emphasis on technical solutions to environmental problems; achievement of efficiency gains and ‘win-wins’; and a preference for technocratic forms of environmental managerialism. We identify and critique an ‘integrative imaginary’ underpinning much of the UK discourse around the concept of the nexus, and argue that attending to questions of power is a crucial but often underplayed aspect of proposed integration. We argue that while current efforts to institutionalise the language of the nexus as a conceptual framework for research in the UK may provide a welcome opportunity for new forms of transdisciplinary, they may risk turning nexus into a ‘matter of fact’ where it should remain a ‘matter of concern’. In this vein, we indicate the importance of critique to the development of nexus research.

Suggested Citation

  • Cairns, Rose & Krzywoszynska, Anna, 2016. "Anatomy of a buzzword: The emergence of ‘the water-energy-food nexus’ in UK natural resource debates," Environmental Science & Policy, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 164-170.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enscpo:v:64:y:2016:i:c:p:164-170
    DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2016.07.007
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Huang, Daohan & Li, Guijun & Chang, Yuan & Sun, Chengshuang, 2023. "Water, energy, and food nexus efficiency in China: A provincial assessment using a three-stage data envelopment analysis model," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(PE).
    2. Lazaro, Lira Luz Benites & Giatti, Leandro Luiz & Bermann, Celio & Giarolla, Angelica & Ometto, Jean, 2021. "Policy and governance dynamics in the water-energy-food-land nexus of biofuels: Proposing a qualitative analysis model," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    3. Soprani, Stefano & Marongiu, Fabrizio & Christensen, Ludvig & Alm, Ole & Petersen, Kenni Dinesen & Ulrich, Thomas & Engelbrecht, Kurt, 2019. "Design and testing of a horizontal rock bed for high temperature thermal energy storage," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 251(C), pages 1-1.
    4. Märker, Carolin & Venghaus, Sandra & Hake, Jürgen-Friedrich, 2018. "Integrated governance for the food–energy–water nexus – The scope of action for institutional change," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 290-300.
    5. Hoolohan, Claire & McLachlan, Carly & Larkin, Alice, 2019. "‘Aha’ moments in the water-energy-food nexus: A new morphological scenario method to accelerate sustainable transformation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    6. Di Felice, Louisa Jane & Ripa, Maddalena & Giampietro, Mario, 2019. "An alternative to market-oriented energy models: Nexus patterns across hierarchical levels," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 431-443.
    7. Chini, Christopher M. & Stillwell, Ashlynn S., 2020. "The changing virtual water trade network of the European electric grid," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    8. Nina Hagemann & Sabrina Kirschke, 2017. "Key Issues of Interdisciplinary NEXUS Governance Analyses: Lessons Learned from Research on Integrated Water Resources Management," Resources, MDPI, vol. 6(1), pages 1-8, January.
    9. Ding, Tao & Liang, Liang & Zhou, Kaile & Yang, Min & Wei, Yuqi, 2020. "Water-energy nexus: The origin, development and prospect," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 419(C).
    10. Di Felice, Louisa Jane & Pérez-Sánchez, Laura & Manfroni, Michele & Giampietro, Mario, 2024. "Towards nexus thinking in energy systems modelling: A multi-scale, embodied perspective," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    11. Hooper, Tara & Austen, Melanie C. & Beaumont, Nicola & Heptonstall, Philip & Holland, Robert A. & Ketsopoulou, Ioanna & Taylor, Gail & Watson, Jim & Winskel, Mark, 2018. "Do energy scenarios pay sufficient attention to the environment? Lessons from the UK to support improved policy outcomes," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 397-408.
    12. Peter Horton & Steve A. Banwart & Dan Brockington & Garrett W. Brown & Richard Bruce & Duncan Cameron & Michelle Holdsworth & S. C. Lenny Koh & Jurriaan Ton & Peter Jackson, 2017. "An agenda for integrated system-wide interdisciplinary agri-food research," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 9(2), pages 195-210, April.
    13. Michalec, Aleksandra & Hayes, Enda & Longhurst, James & Tudgey, David, 2019. "Enhancing the communication potential of smart metering for energy and water," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 33-40.

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