The Water-Energy-Food Nexus Index: A Tool for Integrated Resource Management and Sustainable Development

The Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus has, in the past decade, gained prominence as an approach for assessing integrated resource management. One challenge related to the WEF nexus approach is how to represent and monitor it since a system that includes water-, energy- and food-related parameters is complex. Not only are these resources quantified utilising different units, but they vary both spatially and temporally.This paper presents a national-level composite indicator that has been established for 170 countries, utilising the methodology developed by the Joint Research Centre: Competence Centre on Composite Indicators and Scoreboards. Following an assessment of 87 globally applicable water-, energy- and food-related indicators, 21 were selected to constitute the WEF Nexus Index. This index is made up of three equally weighted pillars representing the three constituent resource sectors, and six sub-pillars. A core element in the development of this index is equitable access to resources, which is characterised by each resource sector's ‘access’ sub-pillar. The WEF Nexus Index provides a quantitative perspective and offers a lens for evaluating trade-offs to be considered in the pursuit of sustainable development. To this end, it is intended for assessing national progress relating to integrated resource management as well as supporting decision making and policy development. The relevance and usefulness of the outcomes are demonstrated through an assessment of South Africa. The development of the WEF Nexus Index has demonstrated that no country is undertaking integrated resource management flawlessly. Every nation has the potential for improvement; which is evidenced by, for example, the top-ranking country for the index needing to reduce CO2 emissions. Neither the composite indicator nor the WEF nexus approach is, however, the panacea that will solve all the significant development or environmental challenges facing the global society. It can, however, contribute to integrated resource management and is complementary to the Sustainable Development Goals. It should ideally be utilised as an entry point into the underlying pillars, sub-pillars and indicators, in parallel with other qualitative and quantitative studies.

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GHS-POP Accuracy Assessment: Poland and Portugal Case Study

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs12071105 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (7) ◽

pp. 1105

Author(s):

Beata Calka ◽

Elzbieta Bielecka

Keyword(s):

Population Distribution ◽

Accuracy Assessment ◽

Local Level ◽

National Level ◽

Error Rates ◽

Research Centre ◽

Percentage Error ◽

Remotely Sensed Data ◽

Joint Research ◽

Population Number

The Global Human Settlement Population Grid (GHS-POP) the latest released global gridded population dataset based on remotely sensed data and developed by the EU Joint Research Centre, depicts the distribution and density of the total population as the number of people per grid cell. This study aims to assess the GHS-POP data accuracy based on root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and the correlation coefficient. The study was conducted for Poland and Portugal, countries characterized by different population distribution as well as two spatial resolutions of 250 m and 1 km on the GHS-POP. The main findings show that as the size of administrative zones decreases (from NUTS (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics) to LAU (local administrative unit)) and the size of the GHS-POP increases, the difference between the population counts reported by the European Statistical Office and estimated by the GHS-POP algorithm becomes larger. At the national level, MAPE ranges from 1.8% to 4.5% for the 250 m and 1 km resolutions of GHS-POP data in Portugal and 1.5% to 1.6%, respectively in Poland. At the local level, however, the error rates range from 4.5% to 5.8% in Poland, for 250 m and 1 km, and 5.7% to 11.6% in Portugal, respectively. Moreover, the results show that for densely populated regions the GHS-POP underestimates the population number, while for thinly populated regions it overestimates. The conclusions of this study are expected to serve as a quality reference for potential users and producers of population density datasets.

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Drivers, Opportunities, and Challenges for Integrated Resource Co-management and Sustainable Development in Galapagos

Frontiers in Sustainable Cities ◽

10.3389/frsc.2021.666559 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

Author(s):

Soledad Garcia Ferrari ◽

Amelia A. Bain ◽

Stephanie Crane De Narváez

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Resource Management ◽

Third Sector ◽

Institutional Culture ◽

Community Ownership ◽

Galapagos Archipelago ◽

Sources Of Knowledge ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Different Sources

The Galapagos archipelago represents an insular system with finite natural resources, a growing population, and an economy heavily weighted on tourism that leaves it vulnerable to shocks, such as the Covid-19 crisis. This work proposes an alternative scenario developed through creating intersections between water-energy-food (WEF) nexus and adaptive co-management (ACM) approaches to resource management. This framework allows the identification of novel synergies that are applied to the analysis of Galapagos as case study. Within this approach, qualitative analysis is applied to data collected via a set of interviews with local stakeholders (including community, business, third sector, and government actors) to evaluate (i) how a deeper understanding of community perceptions and needs can help to identify pathways toward more sustainable development in line with conservation goals, (ii) what governance frameworks should be implemented to promote community-based resource management and resilience, and (iii) what role education and capacitation can play in supporting alternative forms of economic activity. The research suggests that the implementation of an integrated WEF-ACM framework for resource management in Galapagos could promote resilience by opening a space for deliberation and conflict resolution between legitimate stakeholders, thus supporting more effective and balanced participative governance. The current Covid-19 crisis has led to the emergence of alternative forms of community collaboration that demonstrate the potential for a more economically diverse and more sustainable future. By placing different sources of knowledge on a level platform in such a framework, greater community ownership of resource management and conservation goals could be achieved. The incorporation of an ACM approach within the management of WEF resources would also allow Galapagueños to determine their own vision of a future sustainable socio-ecosystem, based on optimising system outcomes by co-identifying the trade-offs and synergies between the interrelated resource sectors, but requires a transformation in institutional culture.

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On the Use of the eStation Developed in the GMES & Africa EU Project: Results from the User Survey

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos12020258 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 258

Author(s):

Christophe Lavaysse ◽

Philippe Roudier ◽

Vijay Venkatachalam ◽

Jurriaan Klooster ◽

Marco Clerici

Keyword(s):

Resource Management ◽

Water Resource Management ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Research Centre ◽

Joint Research ◽

Joint Research Centre ◽

Open Source Data ◽

Data Processing Tool ◽

One Year ◽

Eu Project

In 2007, at the 2nd Africa-EU Summit, the development and implementation of earth observation based services to support sustainable development in Africa was agreed. A joint Africa-EU strategy created a framework for cooperation to this end called GMES & Africa. This cooperation aims to produce products and services relevant to the needs of Africans and implemented by African institutions. It is based in particular on the European Copernicus program. The themes covered by the cooperation include natural resource management, marine and coastal areas, water resource management, climate variability and change, disaster risk reduction and food security. Building on its early involvement in the previous projects, the Joint Research Centre has developed an operational and distributable open-source data processing tool, called eStation. One year before the end of the first phase of the project, a full survey of eStation users was conducted. The objective of the survey was to get a full overview of the use, strength, weakness and way to improve the eStation in an operational context. This study presents the main results of the survey. It identifies who are the users, what their operational tasks are and how they communicate the information to decision makers. In addition, the use of the station is described, its strengths and weaknesses are identified as well as the technical and thematic difficulties encountered. The survey underlines the importance of maintaining a constant dialogue between users and developers in order to offer technical and thematic supports to improve the efficiency of the use of the tools. This can be done by organising training and workshops and is essential for the proper use of the tools and products.

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Synergy Analysis of Knowledge Transfer for the Energy Sector within the Framework of Sustainable Development of the European Countries

Energies ◽

10.3390/en15010276 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 276

Author(s):

Adriana Grigorescu ◽

Amalia-Elena Ion ◽

Cristina Lincaru ◽

Speranta Pirciog

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Renewable Energy ◽

Knowledge Transfer ◽

Regional Cooperation ◽

National Level ◽

Clean Energy ◽

Energy Sector ◽

Eu Countries ◽

Development Framework ◽

Trade Offs

The target for 2030 of reaching a 32% share of renewable energy in the gross final energy consumption can be achieved by speeding up the transformation pending the implementation of knowledge transfer (KT) policies that foster regional cooperation for the cost-effective development of renewables. The research purpose is the analysis of important factors in the development of the renewable energy sector through knowledge sharing and collaboration across the Member States in a comparable manner. The hypotheses are as follows: Hypothesis 1 (H1) there are synergies between knowledge transfer and economic impact through income and jobs for the renewable energy sector and Hypothesis 2 (H2) the EU countries have different profiles of synergy. The research proposition was established through the employment of a quantitative synergy and trade-offs analysis based on the knowledge transfer indicators and the sustainable development framework. The research method, namely the advanced sustainability analysis (ASA), uses the quantitative assessment tool for the understanding of synergies between two or three dimensions of sustainable development, presuming that the combined effect of the factors is greater than the sum of their individual effects. The current research comprises an evaluation of the renewable energy sector knowledge transfer policy models at the national level for 24 EU countries and four other European states, focusing on the capabilities to create synergies. The results of the study represent a valuable input for the policy makers, allowing for a coherent and sustainable planning and programming of the new electricity market, adopted through the Clean Energy Package, and following a highly dynamic and radically disruptive background, exploiting the ‘successful’ profiles.

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Development of an ESD Indicator for Teacher Training and the National Monitoring for ESD Implementation in Germany

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su10072508 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 2508 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Eva-Maria Waltner ◽

Werner Rieß ◽

Antje Brock

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Teacher Training ◽

Qualitative Content Analysis ◽

National Level ◽

Evaluation Study ◽

Education For Sustainable Development ◽

Core Element ◽

Federal States ◽

National Monitoring ◽

Global Action

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a core element of UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) Target 4.7, which seeks to ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development through education for sustainable development. The German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) followed suit in 2015 and launched a high scale national monitoring of the current state of ESD implementation. In this context, suitable ESD indicators should be analyzed to inform policy and research agendas. The present project is part of the national monitoring within Germany’s Global Action Program (GAP) actions. The research team at the University of Education in Freiburg conducted a study to evaluate the accessibility of data and the measurability of ESD-relevant teacher training (TT). During the two-step procedure for data collection on ESD-relevant TTs in Germany, an extensive list of ESD related search terms first captured 66,935 TTs with possible ESD relevance in the evaluation period. Second, the collected data was analyzed using Mayring’s qualitative content analysis. The 66,935 TTs were thereby reduced to 3818 TTs with different degrees of ESD relevance. The results of the evaluation study show that suitable ESD indicators, the FESD (formula for the ESD-indicator for TTs) (basic), FESD (basic, rated) and FESD (pro), could be developed and calculated for 15 of 16 federal states in Germany. The gathered insights show a path towards ESD monitoring in TT to clarify the needs and achievements of ESD implementation in the field of continuing education of teachers. However, the presented indicators only show a possible path for ESD indicator development. A comprehensive set of ESD indicators should also focus on the micro or output (e.g., ESD competencies) level. These insights for the future seem worth striving for not only in Germany or on the national level but also internationally to foster ESD, Target 4.7 of the SDGs and the SDGs in general.

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Assessing multidimensional sustainability: Lessons from Brazil’s social protection programs

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1920998117 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 117 (34) ◽

pp. 20511-20519

Author(s):

Cecilie Dyngeland ◽

Johan A. Oldekop ◽

Karl L. Evans

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Sustainable Development Goals ◽

Social Protection ◽

National Level ◽

Multidimensional Poverty ◽

Well Being ◽

Natural Vegetation ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Development Goals ◽

Zero Hunger

Examining linkages among multiple sustainable development outcomes is key for understanding sustainability transitions. Yet rigorous evidence on social and environmental outcomes of sustainable development policies remains scarce. We conduct a national-level analysis of Brazil’s flagship social protection program, Zero Hunger (ZH), which aims to reduce food insecurity and poverty. Using data from rural municipalities across Brazil and quasi-experimental causal inference techniques, we assess relationships between social protection investment and outcomes related to sustainable development goals (SDGs): "no poverty" (SDG 1), "zero hunger" (SDG 2), and "health and well being" (SDG 3). We also assess potential perverse outcomes arising from agricultural development impacting "climate action" (SDG 13) and "life on land" (SDG 15) via clearance of natural vegetation. Despite increasing daily per capita protein and kilocalorie production, summed ZH investment did not alleviate child malnutrition or infant mortality and negligibly influenced multidimensional poverty. Higher investment increased natural vegetation cover in some biomes but increased losses in the Cerrado and especially the Pampa. Effects varied substantially across subprograms. Conditional cash transfer (Bolsa Familia [BF]) was mainly associated with nonbeneficial impacts but increased protein production and improved educational participation in some states. The National Program to Strengthen Family Farming (PRONAF) was typically associated with increased food production (protein and calories), multidimensional poverty alleviation, and changes in natural vegetation. Our results inform policy development by highlighting successful elements of Brazil’s ZH program, variable outcomes across divergent food security dimensions, and synergies and trade-offs between sustainable development goals, including environmental protection.

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Challenges of the Cultural Policies as a Sustainable Development Engine: Example of a Good Policy / City of Pancevo

Journal of Heterodox Economics ◽

10.1515/jheec-2015-0011 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 29-58

Author(s):

Bojana Subasic ◽

Bogdana Opacic

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Policy Development ◽

Cultural Policy ◽

Local Development ◽

Local Level ◽

Good Practice ◽

National Level ◽

Cultural Development ◽

The Republic ◽

The City

Abstract Reforming cultural policy in Serbia comes into a focus after year 2000. With delegating jurisdiction on the local cultural systems, because one of the ideas is that local government and experts can recognize needs, potential and capacities for local development more clearly and comprehensively. This work deals with the challenges of cultural policy as initiators of sustainable development, where the City of Pancevo has been selected as an example of a good practice. The first part of the text deals with challenges of cultural policy on national level. When it comes to cultural policy development on the Republic level, one can say that participants in culture in Serbia contribute to improving culture every year. However, for more successful cultural policy it is necessary to approach cultural policy challenges in service of sustainable development. Ranking all challenges leads to a conclusion that it is necessary to solve problems such as financing of the institutions, lack of a strategic thinking and insufficient inter-sector, inter -department and international cooperation. The second part of the text is dedicated to the City of Pancevo, as an example of a good practice in cultural policy and sustainable development domain. During 2013. with the support of the IPA fund cross-border cooperation program, the City of Pancevo accomplished Poles of Culture project. Within that project the Center for Study in Cultural Development conducted a research of cultural needs and habits of citizens of Pancevo, cultural institutions and citizen associations within culture. The third part of the text deals with the research results of cultural needs and habits of Pancevo citizens. They represent guidelines for improving the city cultural policy. The fourth part of the text is dedicated to the cultural policy on the local level and recommendations for cultural policy improvement has been given based on the example of the City of Pancevo.

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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: THE AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OBSERVATORY /DARNUS VYSTYMASIS BESIVYSTANČIOSE ŠALYSE: AFRIKOS, KARIBŲ IR RAMIOJO VANDENYNO VALSTYBIŲ APŽVALGA

Technological and Economic Development of Economy ◽

10.3846/tede.2010.45 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 736-752 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Paolo Roggeri ◽

Alan Belward ◽

Philippe Mayaux ◽

Hugh Eva ◽

Andreas Brink ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Strategic Partnership ◽

Geographical Information ◽

Research Centre ◽

Joint Research ◽

Freshwater Aquaculture ◽

African Caribbean ◽

Development Goals

Freshwater, aquaculture, fisheries, biodiversity, forests, and agricultural land have high economic and social value throughout the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) region; but they can also be over‐exploited, with damaging consequences for local economies, long term stability and for the Earth system as a whole – especially the climate system. The ACP's fast growing population puts growing pressure on the environment to provide food, water and fibre, on the regions’ urban centres and transport networks, and on energy sources. Information on the location, condition and evolution of resources is an important step towards sustainability, but unfortunately such information can be hard to get. Earth observing satellite technology combined with geographical information management can help fill the information gap. In this objective, and because of its unique position to support the implementation of advanced interoperable geospatial technologies, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission (EC) is setting‐up of an “Observatory for sustainable development” as single portal to support decision‐making for development in the fields of natural resource and food security. The African Union and European Union recognise the importance of this service and are beginning to develop this capacity as part of the AU EU joint strategic partnership. This paper describes the needs, and presents the first steps taken by the JRC and by the joint partnership in harnessing space technologies to help meet Millennium Development Goals, in particular eradication of poverty, and environmental sustainability. Santrauka Gėlasis vanduo, akvakultūra, žuvininkystė, biologinė įvairovė, miškų ir žemės ūkio paskirties žemė turi didėlę ekonominę ir socialinę vertę visoje Afrikoje, Karibų ir Ramiojo vandenyno (AKR) valstybių regione, bet šie veiksniai gali būti per daug eksploatuojami ir tureti žalingų padarinių vietinei ekonomikai, ilgalaikiam stabilumui ir visai Žemės sistemai, ypač klimato sistemai. Dėl greitai augančio AKR gyventojų skaičiaus regionų miestų centruose transporto tinklų ir energijos šaltinių vietose dideja aplinkos naudojimo mastas, siekiant gyventojus aprūpinti maistu, vandeniu ir lasteliena. Informacija apie vietoves išteklius, išteklių būklę ir raidą yra svarbus žingsnis siekiant darnos, bet, dėja, tokia informacija sunku surinkti. Žemės stebejimo palydovais technologija, sujungta su geografines informacijos valdymu, gali padėti užpildyti šios informacijos spragą. Dėl šio tikslo ir dėl unikalios padėties, siekiant diegti pažangias tarpusavyje saveikaujančias geoerdvines technologijas, Europos Komisijos (EK) jungtinis tyrimu centras (JTC) yra įkūręs Darnaus vystymosi observatorijas kaip viena portalą, kad palaikytų sprendimų priemimo plėtote gamtinių išteklių ir maisto saugumo srityse. Afrikos Sąjunga (AS) ir Europos Sąjunga (ES) pripažįsta šios paslaugos svarbą ir pradėjo plėtoti šiuos pajėgumus kaip dali strateginės AS ir ES partnerystės. Straipsnyje pristatomi pirmieji žingsniai, žengti AKR valstybių, plėtojant jungtinę partnerystę kosminių technologijų srityje, siekiant spręsti tūkstantmečio tikslus – mažinti skurdą ir tobulinti darnų aplinkos vystymą.

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Development of an integrated indicator to assess the multi-dimensional global environmental impact of crop production.

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-11234 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mark jwaideh ◽

Carole Dalin

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Environmental Sustainability ◽

Food Production ◽

Crop Production ◽

Sustainable Development Goals ◽

Composite Indicator ◽

Global Challenge ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Development Goals

Due to increased demand for food, feed, fibre and fuels, intensive resource-use for crop production causes depletion of finite natural resources imperils ecosystems&#8217; integrity. Environmental sustainability is a major global challenge, as identified by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which indicate environmental protection, and higher food production (to end hunger and achieve food security and nutrition), as key goals. As such, the need to measure the environmental sustainability of agriculture globally is imperative to aid decision making for long term, multidisciplinary policy and research programs.Composite indicators are popular tools to assess environmental performance due to their operational relevance in policy-making. However, the reliability of a composite indicator heavily depends not only on the meaningfulness and accuracy of the indicators embedded within, but also on the underlying methods used to construct the composite indicator. This research takes advantage of new spatially-explicit estimates of environmental impacts of global agriculture due to the use of fertiliser, water, land-use and emissions of greenhouse gases to build an integrated environmental sustainability indicator. Different constructions of a meaningful composite indicator are formed and assessed for their sensitivity to varying biophysical and resource input factors.The tool will be used to analyse hotspots for environmental impacts and resource intensities, providing the initial analysis to aid institutions and governments at the strategic level to compare their level of sustainability, thus encouraging improvement of standards/ranking against other regions and implement drivers for behaviour and change. The study opens the opportunity to provide sustainable food production frameworks globally, group regions and analysis trade-offs/synergies between environmental impacts. Furthermore, by using emerging environmental datasets, this work generates new knowledge and understanding of globally significant environmental processes and profile these policy relevant insights; a process that is increasingly important for global agendas such as the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.

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Integrated and Participatory Design of Sustainable Development Strategies on Multiple Governance Levels

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11215931 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (21) ◽

pp. 5931

Author(s):

Fabian Heitmann ◽

Johannes Halbe ◽

Claudia Pahl-Wostl

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Systems Engineering ◽

Participatory Design ◽

National Level ◽

Development Strategies ◽

Solution Strategies ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Strategy Design ◽

Strategy Building ◽

The City

An increasing number of sustainable development strategies (SDS) is being developed for cities, municipalities and countries. The design of such strategies is inherently complex. This is a result from intricate relationships between different SDS on different levels, and a large number of requirements that need to be addressed in strategy implementation. A particular challenge is the integration of strategies across different governance levels (e.g., city, federal, and national levels). Methodologies are currently lacking to systematically design SDS which take the full complexity of the dependencies of the strategies into account. In this article, we propose a participatory requirements analyses approach to support strategy building across governance levels. Experience from systems engineering (SE) has shown, that requirements are the basis for designing systems or strategies. We elicit requirements by applying a participatory modeling approach with causal-loop diagrams in an individual interview setting. To illustrate our approach, we test the developed design approach and focus on the interdependencies between SDS at the city level (i.e., the cities of Berlin and Hamburg) and the German national SDS. The design process reveals critical factors which are needed for the overall success of the strategies. The resulting causal models reveal that despite coordination activities of the regional objectives with the national targets, trade-offs exist between the strategies regarding the underlying conditions for their implementation (e.g., national law, federal and state law). In addition, the level of detail of requirements for certain objectives at the national level and across sectors is too general. This hinders the emergence of system-wide co-benefits of possible solution strategies. Requirements analysis can highlight interdependencies, such as trade-offs and synergies, between strategies at multiple governance levels and, based upon this, can support a more coherent strategy design.

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