New views on water, energy and food

ShareThisWater, energy or food. Which would you pick to do without? None of them, of course. All three are essential to our well-being. They are the foundation of our societies and the lifeblood of our economies. They are also closely linked, and as we focus on one, too often we overlook the implications for the others. This week in Bonn, Germany, representatives from governments, businesses and organizations like WWF will meet to discuss the “nexus”: the link between water, energy and food. Under the auspices of the German government, the “Bonn2011 Conference: The Water Energy and Food Security Nexus – Solutions for the Green Economy” is intended to develop policy solutions to improve the management of natural resources to meet the needs of a growing global population. “Agencies and organizations have been working on water, energy and food security for decades. But, for the most part, we have treated them like distinct issues, and that has held up progress,” said WWF International Director General Jim Leape. If we are going to get back within the ecological limits of our planet and fulfill the rights and aspirations of billions of people who lack access to clean water, sufficient energy and nutritious food, we have to take a different approach. This conference is about capitalizing on the connection between water, energy and food, and developing policies that yield benefits across all three. Specifically, WWF asks governments and businesses to:

• Govern and manage water according to natural rather than political boundaries, and within the framework of integrated, participatory river basin management.
• Invest in integrated programming between freshwater conservation and water, sanitation and hygiene.
• Protect and restore freshwater ecosystems so they can sustain biodiversity and the functions that are vital for human health, livelihoods, well-being and security
• Mitigate cities’ water footprint, increase urban resilience to climate change and variability, and reduce water risks in urban settings
• Increase efficiency in the food system by reducing waste in the production and distribution of food
• Promote alternative consumption patterns, including more balanced diets that are less rich in meat, fish and dairy in high-income countries
• Reduce the footprint of agriculture by making sustainable food production central to development and encouraging the treatment and re-use of wastewater for agricultural purposes
• Adopt, enforce and comply with laws, regulations, policies and standards on sustainable hydropower
• Introduce fiscal policy and incentives to drive private investment in renewable, reliable and sustainable energy supplies in developing countries.