Дисертації з теми "Food-water nexu"

Les estratègies urbanes sostenibles s’estan estenent per tot el món amb l’objectiu comú de millorar els hàbitats on viu la major part de la població. Aquestes estratègies impliquen molts camps diferents i són clau per transformar les ciutats en llocs més sans, justos i ecològics. Les ciutats es basen en un sistema d’economia lineal, i tres dels recursos essencials en les zones urbanes són els aliments, l’energia i l’aigua (FEW). Per això, les ciutats han de trobar solucions circulars, tancant cercles d’energia i materials, i evitant la generació de residus i emissions. Una d’aquestes solucions circulars és l’ús de cobertes infrautilitzades per implementar la producció d’hortalisses, energia o la recollida d’aigua de pluja, és a dir, les cobertes mosaic. Per tant, aquesta tesi avalua els impactes ambientals i socioeconòmics, així com els beneficis de la implementació de la producció d’aliments, les infraestructures d’energia renovable i la recollida d’aigua de pluja, en les cobertes per tal d’aconseguir ciutats autosuficients. Utilitzem un conjunt de metodologies de diferents camps, avaluant les cobertes mosaic des d’una perspectiva ambiental, social i econòmica, i utilitzant diferents enfocaments com el metabolisme urbà, el cicle de vida i la participació pública. Primerament, proposem una guia completa per a implantar amb precisió aquests sistemes en les cobertes urbanes, des dels aspectes tècnics fins als indicadors ambientals, socials i econòmics. Posteriorment, per avaluar les cobertes mosaic, ho apliquem a diferents escales i en diferents zones urbanes. Els dos primers estudis es basen en polígons d’habitatges i el tercer en un municipi amb tres formes urbanes característiques. Avaluem el metabolisme de FEW d’aquestes zones urbanes, concloent que els polígons d’habitatge presenten les taxes més baixes de metabolisme d’electricitat (0,75-0,82 MJ/hora), hortalisses i aigua. En canvi, les zones d’habitatges unifamiliars mostren els índexs més alts en les taxes metabòliques d’hortalisses i electricitat. Pel que fa als diferents indicadors de sostenibilitat, trobem una quota rellevant d’autosuficiència en el subministrament d’hortalisses, 17-115% a través de la implantació de cultius a l’aire lliure o hivernacles, i també en la producció d’energia amb percentatges del 7-71% a través de panells solars. En el cas de l’autosuficiència hídrica, el percentatge és elevat, 66-227%, per al reg dels cultius, però per a usos específics, com fer la bugada i la cisterna del vàter, els percentatges són baixos, 18-38% per a un sol ús. En termes d’indicadors ambientals, els escenaris amb més cobertes que implementen panells fotovoltaics presenten un elevat estalvi de CO2, però simultàniament un elevat impacte ambiental en la seva fase de construcció (98 kg CO2 eq/m2/any). Els indicadors socioeconòmics il·lustren que aquests nous sistemes podrien cobrir entre el 9-71% i el 7-18% de la pobresa energètica i d’aigua, respectivament. Pel que fa als estalvis monetaris, les llars podrien estalviar entre 335-1801 euros/any depenent de l’escenari implementat. Per involucrar les parts interessades en el disseny de futurs escenaris, avaluem la percepció pública d’aquestes estratègies a través de processos participatius i enquestes, revelant que la majoria dels residents prefereixen implementar panells fotovoltaics en les seves cobertes (65-77%). No obstant això, per a la implantació de l’agricultura urbana, el percentatge disposat a acceptar és menor, un 7% en un dels municipis, i en el segon la proporció augmenta fins al 20-21%. Tenint en compte els resultats d’aquesta tesi, les futures línies d’investigació que es proposen són la posada en marxa de diferents projectes pilot en diferents formes urbanes, amb l’objectiu de supervisar i provar les cobertes mosaic, i la inclusió de totes les parts interessades en el disseny d’estratègies urbanes efectives per a la mitigació del canvi climàtic.
Las estrategias urbanas sostenibles se están extendiendo por todo el mundo con el objetivo común de mejorar los hábitats donde vive la mayoría la población. Estas estrategias abarcan muchos campos diferentes y son clave para transformar las ciudades en lugares más sanos, justos y ecológicos. Las ciudades suelen basarse en un sistema de economía lineal, y tres de los recursos esenciales en las zonas urbanas son los alimentos, la energía y el agua (FEW). Por ello, las ciudades deben encontrar soluciones circulares, cerrando círculos de energía y materiales, y evitando la generación de residuos y emisiones. Una de estas soluciones circulares es el uso de cubiertas infrautilizadas para implementar la producción de hortalizas, energía o la recolección de agua de lluvia, es decir, las cubiertas mosaico. Para ello, esta tesis evalúa los impactos ambientales y socioeconómicos, así como los beneficios de la implementación de la producción de alimentos, las infraestructuras de energía renovable y la recolección de agua de lluvia, en las cubiertas con el fin de lograr ciudades autosuficientes. Utilizamos un conjunto de metodologías de diferentes campos, evaluando las cubiertas mosaico desde una perspectiva ambiental, social y económica, y utilizando diferentes enfoques. Primeramente, proponemos una guía completa para implantar con precisión estos sistemas en las cubiertas, desde los aspectos técnicos hasta los indicadores ambientales, sociales y económicos. Posteriormente, lo aplicamos a diferentes escalas y zonas urbanas. Los dos primeros estudios se basan en polígonos de viviendas y el tercero en un municipio con tres formas urbanas características. Evaluamos el metabolismo de FEW de estas zonas urbanas, concluyendo que los polígonos de vivienda presentan las tasas más bajas de metabolismo de electricidad (0,75-0,82 MJ/hora), hortalizas y agua. Por el contrario, las zonas de viviendas unifamiliares muestran los índices más altos en las tasas metabólicas de hortalizas y electricidad. Respecto a los diferentes indicadores de sostenibilidad, encontramos una cuota relevante de autosuficiencia en el suministro de hortalizas, 17-115% a través de la implantación de cultivos al aire libre o invernaderos, y también en la producción de energía con porcentajes del 7-71% a través de paneles solares. En el caso de la autosuficiencia hídrica, el porcentaje es elevado, 66-227%, para el riego de los cultivos, pero para usos específicos, como el lavado de la ropa y las cisternas, los porcentajes son bajos, 18-38% para un solo uso. En cuanto a los indicadores ambientales, los escenarios con más cubiertas que implementan paneles fotovoltaicos presentan un elevado ahorro de CO2, pero simultáneamente un elevado impacto ambiental en su fase de construcción (98 kg CO2 eq/m2/año). Los indicadores socioeconómicos ilustran que estos nuevos sistemas podrían cubrir entre el 9-71% y el 7-18% de la pobreza energética y de agua, respectivamente. En cuanto a los ahorros monetarios, los hogares podrían ahorrar entre 335-1801 euros/año dependiendo del escenario implementado. Para involucrar a las partes interesadas en el diseño de futuros escenarios, evaluamos la percepción pública de estas estrategias a través de procesos participativos y encuestas, revelando que la mayoría de los residentes prefieren implementar paneles fotovoltaicos en sus cubiertas (65-77%). Sin embargo, para la implantación de la agricultura urbana, el porcentaje dispuesto a aceptar es menor, un 7% en uno de los municipios, y en el segundo la proporción aumenta hasta el 20-21%. Teniendo en cuenta los resultados de esta tesis, las futuras líneas de investigación que se proponen son la puesta en marcha de diferentes proyectos piloto en distintas formas urbanas, con el objetivo de supervisar y probar las cubiertas mosaico, y la inclusión de todas las partes interesadas en el diseño de estrategias urbanas efectivas para la mitigación del cambio climático.
Sustainable urban strategies are worldwide spreading with the common goal of improving the habitats where most population lives, i.e., cities. These strategies cover many different fields and are key to transforming cities into healthier, fairer, and greener sites. Cities are often based on a linear economy system, and three of the most essential resources required in urban areas are food, energy and water (FEW). Hence, cities must find circular solutions, closing loops of energy and materials, and avoiding the generation of waste and emissions. Therefore, one of these circular solutions is the use of underutilized rooftops to implement the production of vegetables, energy or rainwater harvesting, i.e., the Roof Mosaic approach named by authors. To this end, this dissertation aims to assess the environmental and socio-economic impacts, and the benefits of the implementation of food production, renewable energy infrastructures and rainwater harvesting, on available rooftops for the purpose of self-sufficient cities. We use a set of different methodologies from different fields, assessing the Roof Mosaic from an environmental, social and economic perspective, and using different approaches such as urban metabolism, life cycle and public participation. We first propose a complete guideline to the accurate implementation of these systems on urban roofs, from the technical aspects to environmental, social and economic indicators. Subsequently, to assess the Roof Mosaic, we apply it at different scales and different urban areas. The two first studies are based on housing estates, and the third is based on a municipality with three characteristic urban forms. We evaluate the FEW metabolism of these urban areas, concluding that housing estates have the lowest electricity (0.75-0.82 MJ/hour), vegetable and water metabolic rates. In contrast, the single-family housing areas display the highest rates in vegetable and electricity metabolic rates. Regarding the different sustainability indicators, we find a relevant share of self-sufficiency in vegetable supply, from 17 to 115% through the implementation of open-air farming or greenhouses on roofs, and also in energy production with percentages of 7-71% through solar panels. In the case of water self-sufficiency, the percentage is high 66-227% for the irrigation of crops, but for specific uses, such as flushing and laundry the percentages are low, from 18-38% for single use, or laundry or flushing. In terms of environmental indicators, scenarios with more rooftops implementing photovoltaic panels depict high CO2 savings but simultaneously high environmental impacts in their construction phase (98 kg CO2 eq/m2/year). Socio-economic indicators illustrate that these new FEW systems could cover between 9-71% and 7-18% of energy and water poverty, respectively. Concerning monetary savings, households could save between 335-1801 ?/year depending on the scenario implemented. To engage stakeholders in the design of future scenarios, we evaluate the public perception of these strategies through participatory processes and surveys, revealing that most residents prefer to implement photovoltaic panels on their rooftops (65-77%). However, for the implementation of urban rooftop farming, the percentage willing to accept is lower. In one of the municipalities only 7%, and in the second one the proportion augments to 20-21%. Therefore, there is a necessity for policies aimed at the use of rooftops for other systems than photovoltaic panels such as open-air farming, rooftop greenhouses or green roofs. Considering the findings of this dissertation, future research lines proposed are setting up different pilot projects in different urban forms and types of residents, aiming to monitor and test the Roof Mosaic and the inclusion of all stakeholders in the design of urban strategies to match their preferences and needs with effective climate change solutions in cities.
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Programa de Doctorat en Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals

Climate change is a natural cyclical phenomenon and throughout our planet's existence there have been sustained periods of heating and cooling. These periods are often referred to as "ice ages" and "interglacials" respectively. Scientists attributed warms oceans and carbon dioxide released from the oceans as the reason for global warming in the past. However, human activities of the recent past, mainly the burning of fossil fuel has seen an amplification of global temperature at a scale never seen before. This unprecedented change in our environment, as per scientists will have adverse side effects and have a long-term impact in our world. The most likely effects of climate change will be; heatwave, drought, glacier melts, sea level rise, erratic precipitation and erosions depending on a particular geographical location. The socio-economic impact of climate change could be a severe one too. Heat and drought could have major impact on agriculture, food and forests. United Nations data released in 2016 suggests that by the year 2050, more than 50 percent of the world's population will face a dearth of fresh water sources. It is also predicted that water scarcity will most likely result in diseases, unemployment and poverty. Energy use is also likely to increase with the greater need for air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winters. In cases where a region can't cope with these consequences, mass migration in search of better conditions is also likely. Physical and economic infrastructure will be tested by severe weather, flooding, wildfires and other phenomena. Data published by the United Nations in 2014 estimated that more than 50% of the world's total population lives in the urban areas and soon that number is likely to increase to 60%. In conjunction with climate change, this will mean more strain on already stretched resources in urban ecosystems. Also, with data suggesting that many people will migrate due to unemployment and poverty because of climate change, it is highly likely urban regions will have to accommodate that population too. The intertwined nexus of freshwater shortage, food, water and energy security is an issue we are already grappling with today, which is likely to be exacerbated in the future. These issues cannot be reviewed and analyzed as separate phenomena, but rather as a single intertwined phenomenon. The solution of the problem, hence, should be treated as the same.
Master of Architecture
This thesis, initially, investigates the phenomenon of climate change, and the likely challenges that it might pose in the future. Sustained periods of heating and cooling is a natural cyclical process, but human activities of the recent past has amplified global warning. This, according to scientists, will impact earth in the long run, and will have climatological and socio economic consequences. Water scarcity, droughts, sea level rise, mass migration are identified as problems that could intensify in the future. At various regions across the world, we are already facing these issues at different scales. This thesis, hence identifies the most pertinent future challenges and simulates those with existing societal challenges. The aim of the thesis is to provide an integrated and holistic plan to address the issues at hand with a view that the approach would also adapt to and mitigate issues in the future. Natural cycles and resources are used as a model to develop a mechanism to create a built environment for a small, self sustaining community. The proposed design is a prototype for a particular climatic scheme, but could be altered to fit other climatic criteria. The scheme through, research, addresses contemporary societal needs and tries to provide a solution contingencies of climate change.

Water, energy and food (WEF) are among essentials to meet the basic human needs and ensure economic and social development. Globally, the demand for WEF rapidly increases while billions of people are still lacking access to these needs. The main drivers behind increased demand for WEF are population growth, urbanization, economic growth and climate change. It may also be driven by changes in demography, technological developments and diet preferences. To achieve a sustainable supply and effectively manage the demand for WEF, complex interactions between WEF (nexus) need to be understood. Traditionally, WEF have been studied and managed separately with a minimal focus on their interactions. The primary objective of this study is to investigate WEF nexus at different scales. A bottom-up approach has been employed to develop a system-dynamics based model to capture the interactions between WEF at end-use level at a household scale. Additionally, a city scale model has been developed to quantify WEF implications for agricultural, commercial and industrial sectors. The household level model is then integrated with the city scale model to estimate WEF demand and the generated organic waste and wastewater quantities. The integrated model investigates the impact of several variables on WEF: human bahaviour, diet, household income, family size, seasonal variability, population size, GDP, crop type and land-use for agriculture. The integrated model is based on a detailed survey of 407 households conducted to investigate WEF over winter and summer season for the city of Duhok, Iraq. The city is chosen as a case study due to the rapid population growth, considerable urbanization, changes in land-use pattern and shifting climate trends toward longer summer duration. These put an additional pressure on WEF demand in the city. The collected data of WEF and household characteristics (demographic and socio-economic) have been intensively analysed to provide a better understanding for the factors influencing WEF consumption. The surveyed data was used to develop statistical regression models for estimating demand as a function of household characteristics using stepwise-multiple-linear and evolutionary polynomial regression techniques. The integrated WEF model was subjected to sensitivity analysis and uncertainty assessment. A comparison of the model simulation results were made with the historical data. The model results show a good agreement with the historical data. The WEF model is then applied to assess the risk and resilience of WEF systems under the impact of seasonal climate variability (i.e., increase/decrease in the number of summer days). In order to decrease the risk of not meeting per capita demand for WEF and increase the resilience of system for providing per capita demand for WEF, a number of demand management strategies have been investigated in water and energy systems under the impact of seasonal variability. The results show that using recycled greywater for non-potable application in Duhok water system is the most efficient strategy but it increases the energy demand. Additionally, anaerobic digestion of food waste and wastewater sludge for energy recovery can increase the resilience of Duhok energy system. Finally, the impact, of Global Scenario Group (GSG) scenarios (Market Forces, Fortress World, Great Transition and Policy Reform) on the WEF consumption and resulting implications, has been investigated using the WEF model. The results suggest that the Fortress World scenario (an authoritarian response to the threat of breakdown) has the highest impact on WEF consumption. In the Great Transition scenario, WEF consumption would be the lowest. The model results suggest that the food-related water consumption is the highest in the Policy Reform scenario.

The energy-food-water nexus is of fundamental significance in the goal towards sustainable development. The Zambezi River Basin, situated in southern Africa, currently offers vast water resources for social and economic development for the eight riparian countries that constitute the watershed. Hydropower generation and agriculture are the main water users in the watershed with great potential of expansion, plus urban water supply materialise the largest consumers of this resource. Climate and social changes are pressuring natural resources availability which might show severe alterations due to enhances in the variability of precipitation patterns. This study thus examines the present water resources in the transboundary basin and executes low and high case future climate change incited scenarios in order to estimate the possible availability of water for the period 2060-2099 by performing water balances. Along with projections of water accessibility, approximations on water demands from the main consumer sectors are performed. Results show an annual positive balance for both projected scenarios due to an increase in precipitation during the wet season. They also present a severe increase in overall temperature for the region contributing to a strong increase in evapotranspiration. Projections further inform of an acute increase in water demand for irrigation and urban supply, nevertheless, evaporation from hydropower storage reservoirs continues to exceed water with drawals in volume. Acknowledging the uncertainty contained in this report allows a broader offer of recommendations to be considered when planning for future developments with a sustainable approach. Improvement of hydrological collection systems in the Zambezi basin is indispensable to accomplish a deeper and cohesive understanding of the watershed waterresources. Cooperation and knowledge communication between riparian countries seems to be the right beginning towards social and economic sustainable development for the Zambezi River Basin.

The water, energy and food nexus is a theoretical approach to better understand and systematically examine the interactions between the natural environment and human activities, and to work towards a more organized management and use of natural resources across sectors and scales (FAO, 2014). It looks at the way a group of people -regionally, nationally, and locally- utilize resources and analyzes how they can be more efficiently managed. In implementing the WEF Nexus, there are ripple effects through the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In fact, several governments have already incorporated the WEF Nexus as part of their governmental policy in order to promote a more sustainable future. The WEF Nexus has four objectives: to help eradicate food insecurity, hunger, and malnutrition; make fisheries, forestry, and agriculture more productive and sustainable; help eliminate rural poverty; and enable efficient and sustainable food systems (FAO, 2019). In order to fully understand the challenges, trends, and opportunities presented by the WEF Nexus, this research covers what it is and where it comes from by studying the interlinks and trade-offs among these three resources; and suggests best practices to relieve the pressures that threaten resource availability and better manage them. However, problems arise in the implementation of those goals. For example, the rising number of climate migrants indicates that there are still problem areas in achieving the Nexus to its fullest potential. This Thesis also analyzes the current status of the WEF Nexus in these areas and provides policy recommendations for the particular case of Morocco. Within the MENA region, Morocco is probably the most vulnerable country to climate change: desertification, sea-level rise, groundwater salinization, climate migration as well as sudden flooding and storms affect the life of people in all parts of the country. Such a unique and fragile situation motivated the choice of the country as the case study for this research work. A WEF approach to managing a country’s resources is a great first step towards achieving the targets of the 2030 Agenda. The WEF Nexus is a catalyzing force for development: it underpins equality and democracy whilst setting the foundation to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Protecting the world’s most vital resources, without which human life is impossible, is the Nexus first priority.
El nexe aigua, energia i aliments (a partir d'ara: "WEF Nexus", de les seves sigles en anglès), és un enfocament teòric que permet comprendre millor i examinar sistemàticament les interaccions entre el medi natural i les activitats humanes, per tal d'aconseguir una gestió i un ús més racionalitzat dels recursos naturals (FAO, 2014). El WEF Nexus analitza de quina manera un grup de persones utilitzen els recursos -regionalment, nacionalment i localment- a la vegada que analitza com es podrien gestionar de manera més eficient. La implementació del WEF Nexus, té efectes en tots els 17 objectius de desenvolupament sostenible (ODS). De fet, diversos governs ja han incorporat el WEF Nexus en la seva política governamental per tal de promoure un futur més sostenible. El WEF Nexus té quatre objectius: ajudar a erradicar la inseguretat alimentària, la fam i la desnutrició; contribuir a que la pesca, la silvicultura i l’agricultura siguin més productives i sostenibles; ajudar a eliminar la pobresa rural; i promoure sistemes alimentaris eficients i sostenibles (FAO, 2019). Per tal de comprendre els reptes, les tendències i les oportunitats que presenta el WEF Nexus, aquesta investigació comença definint què és i d’on prové per després suggerir bones pràctiques per alleujar les pressions que amenacen la disponibilitat de recursos i gestionar-les millor. No obstant, quan s'implementen aquests objectius encara sorgeixen problemes com exemplifica el creixent nombre de migrants climàtics, que posa de relleu que encara hi ha marge de millora per assolir el màxim potencial del Nexus. Aquesta Tesi també analitza l'estat actual del WEF Nexus i proposa un paquet de polítiques públiques pel cas concret del Marroc. Dins de la regió MENA, el Marroc és probablement el país més vulnerable al canvi climàtic: la desertització, l’augment del nivell del mar, la salinització de les aigües subterrànies, la migració climàtica, així com les inundacions sobtades i les tempestes, afecten la vida de les persones de totes les parts del país. Una situació tan única i tan fràgil ha motivat l’elecció del país com a cas d’estudi per aquesta Tesi. Gestionar els recursos d’un país amb un enfocament del WEF Nexus, és un gran primer pas per assolir els objectius de l’Agenda 2030. El WEF Nexus és una força catalitzadora per al desenvolupament: sustenta la igualtat i la democràcia alhora que estableix les bases per assolir els objectius de desenvolupament sostenible. La prioritat del WEF Nexus és la protecció dels recursos vitals, sense els quals la vida humana és impossible.

Today’s most pressing problems would greatly benefit from an integrated production method for food, water, and energy. Biological fuel cells can offer such a production method, but current designs cannot be scaled to meet global demand. The ability of five different fungal strains to secrete laccase was evaluated under optimized culture conditions using three inducers. A specialized electrode was developed to increase the loading of laccase on the cathode. Trametes versicolor was then immobilized at the modified cathode and shown to secrete electrochemically active laccase. This hybrid design combines the power density of an enzymatic catalyst with the robustness of a microbial catalyst by facilitating biological renewal of the enzymatic catalyst laccase.

Climate and socio-economic change impacts interact in complex ways. These are likely to cross traditional sectoral and regional boundaries with cascading indirect and potentially far reaching repercussions. This is particularly important for the food-water-land-ecosystems (FWLE) nexus. A holistic understanding of these interactions is central for devising appropriate adaptation strategies. This thesis presents a systematic methodological framework that provides new insights into understanding key sensitivities and uncertainties of these possible cross-sectoral impacts for informing future adaptation policies. The research is based on: (1) appraisal of integrated assessment models (IAMs), and (2) investigation of the direct and indirect implications of a wide range of climate and socio-economic scenarios taking into account important cross-sectoral linkages and interactions between six key European land- and water-based sectors/sub-systems (agriculture, biodiversity, coasts, forests, urban, and water). This is achieved through (1) a review of existing integrated approaches and tools, and (2) assessment and extensive application of one European IAM – the CLIMSAVE* Integrated Assessment Platform (IAP). The IAP application uses a combined approach drawing on a systematic: (i) Sensitivity analysis based on a One-Driver-at-a-Time (ODAT) approach, (ii) Scenario and uncertainty analysis based on Multiple-Drivers-at-a-Time (MDAT) approach, and (iii) Robustness Assessment of Adaptation Policies (RAAP). The key outputs include: (i) new quantitative insights into the complex interactions of the FWLE nexus and associated synergies, conflicts and trade-offs in Europe, (ii) identifying key sensitivities and uncertainties of the potential cross-sectoral impacts and adaptation policies under various scenarios of future changes in climate as well as social, technological, economic, environmental, and policy governance settings, (iii) development of a new nexus-based conceptual framework for a long-term, multi- and cross-sectoral adaptation planning, and (iv) identification of potential areas of improvement of the IAP to inform development of the next generation of IAMs to assess the FWLE nexus. The ODAT analysis demonstrates that while a large number of drivers (20 out of 25) affect most sectors/sub-systems either directly or indirectly, eight drivers are key parameters at the European scale, with important cross-sectoral implications (i.e., ‘strong’ and ‘non-linear’ impacts on more than one sector/sub-system). These include: four climatic (temperature, summer and winter precipitation, and CO2 concentration) and four socio-economic (population, GDP, food imports, and agricultural yields) factors. Considering a wide range of scenario combinations of these drivers (taking into account the ‘full’ and ‘plausible sample’ scenario ranges), the MDAT analysis demonstrates that: (i) food production is likely to be the main driver of Europe’s future landscape change dynamics (even without climate change), (ii) agriculture and land use allocation in general is often driven by complex interactions between various sectors/sub-systems, (iii) there are no clear trends/patterns in future food production under most climate scenarios, (iv) agricultural changes have significant cascading effects on other sectors/sub-systems such as forestry, biodiversity, and water and (v) there are consistent trends for biodiversity, water and flood impacts with regional variations. The results also demonstrate that the combined effects of socio-economic and climatic factors are not always additive, highlighting the complexity of understanding impacts across sectors/sub-systems and regions. As a result, adaptation policy choices are complicated and difficult, even without climate change. A better understanding of the critical trade-offs across sectors/sub-systems and regions under various adaptation options is required. Such systematic analysis provides important insights for decision-makers to devise robust adaptation policies that maximise benefits and minimise unintended consequences across sectors/sub-systems and scales. *CLIMSAVE (Climate change integrated assessment methodology for cross-sectoral adaptation and vulnerability in Europe) is an FP7 project (2010–2013) funded by the European Commission. The CLIMSAVE IAP is an interactive exploratory web-based integrated landscape change assessment model that allows stakeholders to investigate climate and socio-economic change impacts, adaptation and vulnerabilities for six key sectors/sub-systems (agriculture, biodiversity, coasts, forests, urban areas and water resources) (Harrison et al. 2013; 2015a).

The sustainability of natural resources is vital in the light of a rapid population growth and the associated ever increasing demand for services and products. Critical to this growth is the question of energy, water and food (EWF) security. The systems representing the three resources are intrinsically interdependent in what is known as the EWF Nexus. As such, there is a need to develop assessment tools that adequately quantify the inter-dependencies between EWF systems and the surrounding environment in order to identify and evaluate the trade-offs and synergies between them. Existing assessment methodologies do not explicitly identify and quantify the inter-linkages between EWF resources throughout product systems. As a result, decision making regarding the allocation of resources towards the development of a product or service, and the subsequent impact on resource sustainability and environmental degradation, is obscured. Furthermore, earlier approaches translate product system inputs into outputs through the use of generic databases. As such, analysis of product systems operating within varying spatial and temporal scales is hindered. The EWF Nexus tool is a culmination of well-established theories related to system engineering such as Industrial Ecology and LCA. With emphasis on the inter-linkages between EWF resources, the EWF Nexus tool quantifies material flow and energy consumption at component unit process level. The tool is distinguished from previous assessment tools in that it aggregates product systems in terms of the constituting processes identified as sub-systems. Representing complex systems in this manner offers advantages to conventional gate to gate representation. For instance, consideration of process variability and dependencies alleviates flexibility limitations associated with generic databases. Furthermore, with the inter-linkages between EWF resources adequately represented in sub-system design, the respective consumption of resources can be accurately accounted for in product systems. Considering the flexibility and modularity embedded within the EWF Nexus tool, the identification of environmental pressures can be computed for product systems operating within varying spatial settings utilising different technology options and in multiple configurations. The objective of this thesis is to present the details and function of the EWF Nexus environmental assessment tool, and illustrate its implementation through a specific food security scenario in Qatar. The EWF Nexus tool aggregates a proposed food system into its agriculture, water and energy components represented by sub-systems and is used to evaluate the different pathways for which a hypothetical 40 % food self-sufficiency target in Qatar can be achieved. As part of the LCA, sub-system LCI models representing the EWF systems have been developed. The food nexus element includes sub-system LCI models for the production of fertilizers and agricultural activities such as the application of fertilizers and the raising of livestock. The water nexus element includes sub-system LCI models for two desalination processes; Multi-Stage Flash (MSF) and Reverse Osmosis (RO) for the production of fresh water. The energy nexus element includes sub-system LCI models for power generation from two sources; a combined cycle gas turbine plant (CCGT) and renewable energy from solar Photovoltaics (PV). Furthermore, a sub-system for a biomass integrated gasification combined cycle (BIGCC) is integrated to recycle solid waste into useful forms of energy to be re-used within the EWF Nexus. Finally, a sub-system representing carbon capture (CC) technology is integrated to capture and recycle CO2 from both the CCGT and the BIGCC. The integration of CC with the BIGCC transforms the carbon neutral BIGCC process to a negative GHG emission technology with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). For the different scenarios and sub-system configurations considered, the results indicate that the largest global warming potential (GWP) originates from the non-energy related emissions within the food sub-systems. Within this category, emissions from the enteric fermentation processes present in livestock species represent the overwhelming majority of the GWP. Emissions from the power generation are reduced as power from PV technology is integrated as a substitute for the CCGT. The GWP is further reduced by 45 % as the BIGCC is integrated to supplement PV's. The complete roll out of PV and the BECCS (BIGCC +CC) to power the water and food sub-systems can almost completely balance the GWP from the non-energy related emissions by reducing the total GWP by 98 %, attributed to a theoretical achievable maximum negative emission of 1.15x109 kg CO2/year. In the same scenario, the PV land footprint required calculated is a maximum of 660 ha accompanied by a 127 % decrease in natural gas consumption (27 % credit).

The objectives of the thesis are – (a) to identify the problems in water-energy-food nexus from ICT and Law point of view and to propose theoretically a legal knowledge framework for water-energy-food nexus in order to reduce those problems technologically, (b) to construct and implement legal ontology for nexus extracted from EU water, energy and food Regulations in OWL 2 language, which is a part of the grater work of implementing legal knowledge framework for water-energy-food nexus proposed through the compilation of objective (a). Considering these objectives, this thesis presents total five chapters. First chapter investigates current start of art of nexus in order to identify (1) major knowledge gaps in the nexus and (2) ontological existence of the nexus in the EU regulations, particularly in the legal definitions accommodated in EU Regulations and Directives associated with nexus domains. It also rationalizes the need for legal ontology for nexus. Second chapter evaluates existing perspectives and methodologies available for constructing legal ontology. The purpose of such evaluation was to select correct perspective and methodology for constructing legal ontology for nexus. It, at the end, justifies the need for developing new methodology for constructing the legal ontology for nexus. Third chapter explains the methodology used for engineering legal definitional knowledge extracted from the selected EU regulations in order to construct the legal ontology for nexus. Fourth chapter explains in detail the legal ontology for nexus while fifth chapter evaluates legal ontology for nexus. In addition, conclusion of the thesis shares critical issues faced throughout this doctoral thesis work. Furthermore, annexes contain a list of all formulas of restrictions implemented in legal ontology for nexus and links of all modules of legal ontology for nexus. LODE documentation of the legal ontology for nexus is available at http://codexml.cirsfid.unibo.it/post-doctoralresearchers/mizanur-rahman/.

The objectives of the thesis are – (a) to identify the problems in water-energy-food nexus from ICT and Law point of view and to propose theoretically a legal knowledge framework for water-energy-food nexus in order to reduce those problems technologically, (b) to construct and implement legal ontology for nexus extracted from EU water, energy and food Regulations in OWL 2 language, which is a part of the grater work of implementing legal knowledge framework for water-energy-food nexus proposed through the compilation of objective (a). Considering these objectives, this thesis presents total five chapters. First chapter investigates current start of art of nexus in order to identify (1) major knowledge gaps in the nexus and (2) ontological existence of the nexus in the EU regulations, particularly in the legal definitions accommodated in EU Regulations and Directives associated with nexus domains. It also rationalizes the need for legal ontology for nexus. Second chapter evaluates existing perspectives and methodologies available for constructing legal ontology. The purpose of such evaluation was to select correct perspective and methodology for constructing legal ontology for nexus. It, at the end, justifies the need for developing new methodology for constructing the legal ontology for nexus. Third chapter explains the methodology used for engineering legal definitional knowledge extracted from the selected EU regulations in order to construct the legal ontology for nexus. Fourth chapter explains in detail the legal ontology for nexus while fifth chapter evaluates legal ontology for nexus. In addition, conclusion of the thesis shares critical issues faced throughout this doctoral thesis work. Furthermore, annexes contain a list of all formulas of restrictions implemented in legal ontology for nexus and links of all modules of legal ontology for nexus. LODE documentation of the legal ontology for nexus is available at http://codexml.cirsfid.unibo.it/post-doctoralresearchers/mizanur-rahman/.

Drought is an extreme climate phenomenon that happens slowly and periodically threatens the environmental and socio-economic sectors. Developing countries have experienced crucial conditions in meeting the needs for food, energy, and water security. Natural disasters contribute as risky sources of food insecurity and vulnerability in the Middle East. This dissertation presents a country-level review and quantitative assessment of the current issues associated with the Food-Energy-Water-Security (FEWS) Nexus in the Middle East. In this study, sixteen countries in the Middle East are chosen, namely, Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Egypt, and Turkey. The most recent datasets are used to study and analyze the factors that have increased the demand to understand and manage the linkage of FEW systems in the region. Water scarcity, extreme events, population growth, urbanization, economic growth, poverty, and political stability are found to be the key drivers of the current challenges in the Middle East. The results suggest that these factors have created a subsequent stress on FEW resources specifically on the water sector in the region. Therefore, more attention is required to sustain the FEW resources and cope with the socio-economic development. Moreover, this study presented a comprehensive assessment of drought and food-water-energy-security nexus across the Middle East using rigorous frameworks. Meteorological, agricultural, and hydrological droughts are analyzed using different drought indices at multiple timescales over the region for seven decades for the period of 1948-2017. The study further analyzes food insecurity in the Middle East through the exploration of drought (as a water stress factor), energy, and other socio-economic factors in the region. A Bayesian approach is conducted to link all the factors that best predict food insecurity in Middle East pooled from 16 countries in the region. Results reveal that the intensity of agricultural drought are the most aggravated over the region in all cases. Moreover, the results demonstrated the significant impacts of drought (as a water stress factor), agricultural land availability, population growth, livestock, and cereal production on food insecurity in the Middle East.

The water-energy-food nexus approach, where closely-connected water, energy and food sectors and their interlinkages are considered together, can be useful to fully understand and address impediments to these sectors’ security and their sustainable development. This study is a review of the current status of the water-energy-food nexus in India, main interlinkages and main challenges to the sustainable development of the nexus. One of the main interlinkages is irrigation in the water-food connection, as the majority of water withdrawn in India is used for agriculture. The water-energy interlinkages are crucial not only in the context of hydropower generation, but also due to the large amounts of water being used for cooling of fossil fuel and nuclear power plants. The pressure on water resources is exacerbated by rainfall reductions in India caused by climate change. Social and economic factors, such as population growth, change in food habits, economic growth and technological advances, further increase the demand for water, energy and food. This all poses significant challenges related to water availability and, as a result, water, food and energy security in India.

Controversy in transboundary rivers usually arises due to a lack of inclusive agreement and cooperation between the basin countries. Originating from Ethiopia, the Blue Nile River contributes most of the Nile River water making it vital for water, energy, and food security at downstream Sudan and Egypt. In 2011, the Ethiopian government announced the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) along the Blue Nile 40 km away from the Sudanese borders. The dam will be the biggest in Africa and seventh-largest in the world producing 6,000 Megawatts of electricity with a reservoir volume of 74 billion cubic meters. Great concerns were raised on the impact of this megaproject for downstream countries due to the expected changes in water quantity and quality. Different studies were published regarding the potential impacts of this dam on the Eastern Nile countries. However, these studies have usually focused on one aspect of the impact (e.g. hydropower, agricultural projects, water use) despite the connection that exists between these sectors. This research aims to investigate the impact the GERD operation will have on Sudan in terms of WEF security and sustainability. The study uses the WEF security nexus framework that addresses the interconnectedness between these sectors instead of treating them in silos. A sustainability assessment is also carried out to analyze the impact of the dam operation on the environmental, social and economic areas in Sudan. The study first looked into the current state of Sudan’s WEF security nexus and highlighted the vulnerabilities that exist within these sectors. Then an analysis of the GERD operation was carried out and the results showed that water regulation and sediment reduction will reflect positively on Sudan as it will enable for expansion in agricultural projects, increase hydropower production, and provide flood control. Some negative impacts, however, are to be expected especially during the impounding phase from water level reduction and change in river characteristic which will greatly affect the environment and society downstream. The safety of the dam was found to be the biggest threat to Sudan’s security, as the case of dam failure will have catastrophic consequences for the country. The study concluded that an increase in cooperation between the Eastern Nile countries will decrease the downstream negative impacts of the GERD and increase its overall benefits ultimately leading to sustainability, peace, and welfare for these countries. Sudan also needs to take measures in accommodating the new flowing conditions including reoperation of the Sudanese dams and mitigation strategies for the potential negative impacts.

There is a recognised need to turn the abstract concept of resilience thinking into practical action for resource management. This is often difficult as resource management is complex and multifaceted. Nexus thinking attempts to address this by promoting a framework that integrates and coordinates resource management across many different but interlinked resource pillars and sectors. This research focuses on the local level implementation of the food, energy, water, land and biodiversity (FEWLB) nexus framework, and assesses farmers' understanding and implementation of nexus thinking in relation to the support of the Bergrivier Municipality. Agriculturalists (farmers) have been described as significant custodians of natural resources, as they sit in a key position when it comes to implementing and practising sustainable development. There has been little research into the relationship between farmers and local municipalities, or into the role that local government can play in supporting holistic resource management through agriculture. While there are many different actors contributing towards resource management, this research focuses on the agricultural sector within the municipality. Qualitative research methods, including semi-structured interviews, participant observation and surveys, were used to undertake a case study of the agricultural sector within the Bergrivier Municipality. In a context where local government struggles to find its role in supporting socio-ecological resilience, the FEWLB nexus framework offers an opportunity to implement effective planning and policies that could enable more efficient resource use.

Ethiopia has been challenged by multidimensional poverty. However, it has the potential to minimize the threat through an integrated multipurpose development process. In this regard, hydropower has a significant role to reduce energy poverty and enhance the multipurpose use of natural resources efficiency. Hydropower is a source of clean, sustainable and renewable energy. It has a contribution to reducing carbon emission and maintaining environmental sustainability. In Ethiopia, it is the major source of electricity. The country is rich in natural resources, including water to produce energy, however, electricity supply is still uncertain. The data shows that the country has the potential to produce 50,000 MW energy from water resources. Yet, it exploited 3,822 MW in 2018, approximately 7.6 % of its potential. Moreover, the country faces issues with energy security. Additionally, water and food supply also face an uncertain future. In this case, the country has planned the growth and transformation plan I and II for 2015 and 2020 to increase the energy production to 10,000 MW and 17,000 MW energy respectively. Consequently, the government launched different multipurpose hydropower plant projects. This project focuses on the multipurpose use of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, particularly for the sustainable energy-water-food-ecosystem service nexus at the national level. I applied the combination of methods such as the energy-water-food-ecosystem nexus, the SWOT analysis and the sustainability assessment as they are suitable for the complexity of such a project. Indeed, the GERD has benefits for the country in producing renewable and clean energy, generating income and increasing the water storage capacity at the national level. However, the project neglected the values of ecosystem services integration with the dam and its sectors. As a result, the dam affected the existed terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystem. Therefore, the GERD had not been the well-prepared plan that considers institutional cooperation and sectoral integration to use for multipurpose function and its sustainability. In these regards, unless the dam to take proper management of the project and natural resources, the hydropower plant would not have been generating sustainable energy production.

The paper shows that how to use the reservoir hydropower plant for multipurpose, such as for energy, water, food, ecosystem services integration at local level

The relationship between the energy-food-water nexus and the climate is non-linear, multi-sectoral and time sensitive, incorporating aspects of complexity and risk in climate related decision-making. This paper seeks to explore how knowledge co-production can help identify opportunities for building more effective, sustainable, inclusive and legitimate decision making processes on climate change. This would enable more resilient responses to climate risks impacting the nexus while increasing transparency, communication and trust among key actors. We do so by proposing the operationalization of an interdisciplinary approach of analysis applying the novel methodology developed in Howarth and Monasterolo (2016). Through a bottom-up, participative approach, we present results of five themed workshops organized in the UK (focusing on: shocks and hazards, infrastructure, local economy, governance and governments, finance and insurance) featuring 78 stakeholders from academia, government and industry. We present participant's perceptions of opportunities that can emerge from climate and weather shocks across the energy-food-water nexus. We explore opportunities offered by the development and deployment of a transdisciplinary approach of analysis within the nexus boundaries and we analyse their implications. Our analysis contributes to the current debate on how to shape global and local responses to climate change by reflecting on lessons learnt and best practice from cross-stakeholder and cross-sectorial engagement. In so doing, it helps inform a new generation of complex systems models to analyse climate change impact on the food-water-energy Nexus.

It is undeniable that activities and events within the water, energy, and food (WEF) security nexus are inextricably linked and their relationships numerous and substantial. Complexity increases when factors governing the daily lives of humanity namely social, technology advancement, environment, economic, and policies (STEEP) adds upon the difficulty in addressing the relationships. It is thus paramount to address the problems from a holistic and systematic approach to maximise benefits as well as to minimize the negative impacts upon one another. However, there exists little to zero means of measuring their performance, whether qualitatively or quantitatively, within the context of a nexus. Moreover, minimal understanding exists regarding the relationships between the WEF securities in Malaysia, an emerging economy rich in natural resources, which envisions to be a developed nation. This research sought to establish a measurement system for the WEF security nexus in Malaysia within the context of resource security wellbeing, sectoral balance, and sustainable development using a System Dynamics (SD) approach. This entailed an extensive literature review and qualitative interview with key stakeholders from the industrial sectors. The front end of the SD process is concerned with obtaining important and relevant information from literature and interviews, which are then used to construct causal loop diagrams (CLD). The back end of the SD is concerned with converting the CLDs into a stock and flow diagram (SFD), which provides a platform for quantitative simulation of different well-designed scenarios. Key findings from this research can be highlighted; these include: renewables are necessary for the long-term energy plan of Malaysia, nuclear power is necessary to keep electricity tariff low, water tariff of supply and services are severely low, increasing self-sufficiency level (SSL) of Malaysia’s staple food is important, under-utilised crops are efficient in meeting nutrient requirements, and cash crops imposed systemic stresses upon the water sector more than the energy sector. Consequently, recommendations for policy makers are suggested accordingly to achieve a reasonable proportion of RE penetration, providing education on nuclear benefits, centralising and streamlining water governance, socio-economic improvement of water economics, increase SSL of staple food, embark upon widespread adoption of local under-utilized crops, and controlling land use of non-food crops. The outcome of this research forms a vital and novel contribution to knowledge, when it is a pioneering work to address the WEF security nexus for Malaysia; especially in considering their securities for the country as a system rather than unaffected individual entities. This work will contribute towards spearheading the awareness and, hopefully, trigger further and more in-depth work in transdisciplinary resource and technology management. As a pioneering effort, this research has nonetheless provided the foundation and the fundamental understanding to an integrative and inclusive cross-sectoral national resource backbone - The WEF security nexus measurement system of Malaysia.

Orientador: José Antônio Perrella Balestieri
Resumo: A abordagem do nexo água-alimento-energia (AAE) leva em consideração a interdependência do uso desses recursos, essenciais para o bem-estar humano, e possibilita analisar os indicadores dos Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ODS). Nesta inter-relação é necessária uma abordagem sistêmica para compreender como a interação de cada componente funciona e se estrutura. Na presente tese foi analisado o nexo AAE e a rede de influências entre as cidades, no atendimento aos Objetivos do Desenvolvimento Sustentável, tendo o município de Cunha, no Estado de São Paulo, em posição central entre os demais municípios estudados. A vertente analisada encontra-se na transição entre o extenso Vale do Paraíba, situado entre duas metrópoles (São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro) e a baixada litorânea (Paraty e Ubatuba), tendo o município de Cunha em posição intermediária. A região estudada é drenada pelos rios Paraibuna, Paraitinga e seus afluentes que constituem fonte significativa de abastecimento de grandes cidades do sudeste brasileiro e oferece suas águas para irrigação, abastecimento, indústria e produção de energia hidroelétrica. Para análise do nexo AAE, os parâmetros da produção de alimento e o consumo de água e energia foram avaliados estatisticamente, com uso do coeficiente de correlação de Pearson (cP). A análise considerou a produção agrícola e a relação com o consumo de água e energia, assim como a produção pesqueira frente aos referidos parâmetros, em escala de municípios. Dentre as an... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo)
Abstract: The water-food-energy (WFE) approach takes into account the interdependence of the use of these resources, which are essential for human well-being, and makes it possible to analyze the indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). In this interrelation, a systemic approach is required to understand how the interaction of each component works and is structured. In this thesis, the AAE nexus and the network of influences between cities were analyzed, in compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals, with the municipality of Cunha, in the State of São Paulo, in a central position among the other municipalities studied. The analyzed slope is found in the transition between the extensive Vale do Paraíba, located between two metropolises (São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro) and the coastal lowland (Paraty and Ubatuba), with the municipality of Cunha in an intermediate position. The studied region is drained by the Paraibuna, Paraitinga Rivers and their tributaries, which constitute a significant source of supply for large cities in southeastern Brazil and offers their waters for irrigation, supply, industry, and hydroelectric power. For analysis of the WFE nexus, the parameters of food production and the consumption of water and energy were evaluated, statistically with use of Pearson's correlation coefficient (cP). The analysis considered agricultural production and the relationship with water and energy consumption, as well as fishery production against these parameters, ... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)
Doutor

Climate change represents the greatest environmental challenge humanity has ever faced, whose effects today seem to be irreversible. In such a context, agriculture is facing four main challenges: (i) becoming more resilient and adapting to climate change, (ii) reducing its impact in terms of GHG emissions and soil degradation, (iii) increasing its carbon sink potential, (iv) providing sufficient and healthy food to meet the growing demand of the population. This requires a transition from current models of intensive production to new models based on sustainable resource management. The adoption of a holistic approach is therefore essential to effectively represent the main variables (energy, water, environment, food and soil) and their interrelationships, exploit the complex interconnections between them and the associated phenomena, reduce risks identify feasible strategies for sustainable resource management based on integrated policies. An integration of the Nexus approach with the IEA-TIMES framework has been proposed to develop an innovative land use driven model - the TIMES Land-WEF model, which ensures an optimal management of resources of the entire agricultural system in a circular economy perspective. The TIMES- Land-WEF model was validated in the Basilicata Region, a selected area of Mediterranean Europe, in order to evaluate the robustness of solutions under different conditions, namely to determine the effects of climate change on agricultural production and performing and assessment of the Farm to Fork strategy of the EU Green Deal.

碩士
國立臺灣大學
環境工程學研究所
106
Because of FAO''s consideration of social, environmental and economic issues, In addition to the core development in addition to FEW as a natural resource, more needs to socio-economic resources (ie labor and capital) basis, to achieve the three-level goal and an important factor in urban development. Assess the impact of various factors on urban management FEWLC nexus by Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Find out more prominent indicators and analyze management differences from the perspective of Central, Local and Mainland government agencies, Provide follow-up verification by decision makers. The results are the main reason for the link environmental management and accounting for 38.8% overall, the difference between the other two levels 3.2%; fourteen indicators in seven overall weight to more than 75%. The experts of different institutions have the same views at the central and local levels at the three levels, Sort by Environment>Economy>Society. Mainland to Society>Environment> Economy, the latter two are only 4.7% worse. Due to different nationalities, values, etc., there are differences. The other three agencies identify the most important food and water. The economic point of view, central and local governments recognize that food, energy, water resources and funds are indispensable. In the Mainland, food, energy, labor and capital are the main factors that affect the economy. This is somewhat different from the overall. Shows that the central government has per capita animal protein consumption, reservoir annual deposition rate, the total agricultural industry, and the total employed population. Local consumption of animal protein per capita, leakage rate, and consumer price indicators In addition, the mainland mainly consists of the urban garden area, the average household water consumption per household, the total agricultural industry, and the total employed population. And the Mainland only tends to have the same weighted area at the three levels, In other words, the respondents have the same view on fourteen indicators tors at the three levels. Five of the seven indicators in the AHP results were significantly more consistent with Taipei City case validation analysis.

abstract: In recent years, the food, energy, and water (FEW) nexus has become a topic of considerable importance and has spurred research in many scientific and technical fields. This increased interest stems from the high level, and broad area, of impact that could occur in the long term if the interactions between these complex FEW sectors are incorrectly or only partially defined. For this reason, a significant amount of interdisciplinary collaboration is needed to accurately define these interactions and produce viable solutions to help sustain and secure resources within these sectors. Providing tools that effectively promote interdisciplinary collaboration would allow for the development of a better understanding of FEW nexus interactions, support FEW policy-making under uncertainty, facilitate identification of critical design requirements for FEW visualizations, and encourage proactive FEW visualization design. The goal of this research will be the completion of 3 primary objectives: (i) specify visualization design requirements relating to the FEW nexus; (ii) develop visualization approaches for the FEW nexus; and (iii) provide a comparison of current FEW visualization approaches against the proposed visualization approach. These objectives will be accomplished by reviewing graph-based visualization, network evolution, and visual analysis of volume data tasks, discussion with domain experts, examination of currently used visualization methods in FEW research, and conduction of a user study. This will provide a more thorough and representative depiction of the FEW nexus, as well as a basis for further research in the area of FEW visualization. This research will enhance collaboration between policymakers and domain experts in an attempt to encourage in-depth nexus research that will help support informed policy-making and promote future resource security.
Dissertation/Thesis
Masters Thesis Engineering 2019

The Food-Energy-Water (FEW) nexus conceptualizes the interactions and tension between production and consumption of food, energy, and water. With increasing uncertainties due to climate change, there is a need to address these tensions within the nexus and better comprehend the existing interdependencies and tradeoffs. Water integrity – considering both water availability and quality – is of critical concern within the FEW nexus. Thus, it is important to develop robust decision-making strategies using a FEW nexus lens. This study focuses on addressing water integrity concerns through FEW nexus assessment using an agricultural watershed in northeastern Indiana, with predominantly corn-soybean rotations, as a pilot site. Historical and futuristic climate and hydrological data were used for hydrological modeling using SWAT to quantify water quantity, quality, and crop production. Scientific literature values for farm machinery fuel requirements and their carbon emissions were implemented to obtain values based on the implemented agronomic practices. Results of this study provide methodologies and information that can be implemented to evaluate water resources management, as well as inform policymaking for more sustainable agricultural management practices.

碩士
國立臺灣大學
環境工程學研究所
107
With booming economy and rising population, many resources are facing the problem of scarcity, and the demand of food increase year by year. Yet food production also consumes a lot of energy and has many impacts on human health, climate change, ecosystem quality and resources. According to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), global food production cost 30% of energy consumption and 70% of freshwater usage in the world. Because food, energy and water are essential for human, many researches about the nexus of these three things were wildly conducted in the recent years. However, most of the researches are mainly about building the evaluation of structure and pattern. And the researches based on food production are mostly focus on the evaluation and quantification of the FEW nexus of a single product supply chain. Only few researches discussed the diversification of food which suit the human requirement. Furthermore, the discussions of the FEW nexus are mainly focus on environment issues and neglect the influence of economy. As a result, these researches will only have limit assist for the decision making. The evaluation of this study meets the calorie demand (75.17%) and supply (57.30%) of the 13 food production supply chains in Taiwan. By using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and ISO 14046 Water Scaarcity Footprint evaluation, this study is able to quantify the potential impact to the environment, energy and water, and the relationship of FEW. Also, this study combines the Decoupling Indicator to discuss the relationship between the environment influence, resource usage and economic benefit. The results showed that the main contribution of environmental impact (per functional unit) are eggs (2.5 mPt), chicken (2.25 mPt) and pork (1.9 mPt). The main contribution of resources impact are eggs (0.16 mPt), chicken (0.15 mPt) and soybean (0.13 mPt). The main contribution of carbon footprint are chicken (6.47 kg CO2 eq), soybean oil (6.43 kg CO2 eq) and eggs (5.58 kg CO2 eq). The main contribution of water scarcity are chicken (28.45 m3), soybean oil (20.17 m3) and fish (18.54 m3). And the results of Decoupling Indicator analysis show that the food production of Taiwan from 2010 to 2015 are all relatively decoupling. In contrast, the food production of Taiwan in 2008, 2009 and 2016 is coupling. The hotspots of environmental impact are the production of pork, chicken and eggs. The hotspots of freshwater usage are chicken, fish, pork and rice. In conclusion, the analysis of this study shows the FEW nexus of food production, the relationship between FEW and economic benefit, and the hotspots of each impacts. These results will further help the decision making of sustainable food production.

碩士
國立臺灣大學
生物環境系統工程學研究所
105
In recent years, urbanization has significant impact on population growth and resource management of water, food and energy nexus (WFE nexus) in Taiwan. Resource deficit of WFE has become a long-term and thorny issue due to the complex interactions of WFE nexus. As the changes in the global environment, green energy, green environment, and other related concepts have become significant, but many countries still rely heavily on nuclear power. There are averagely 3 to 5 typhoons strike Taiwan every year accompanied by a large amount of rainfall which could be used as available water resource. However, without doing so the extremely large quantity of spilled water for merely flood control purpose has turned to serious waste of water resources. Therefore, in order to improve the synergistic benefits of water, food and energy nexus, we propose to took advantages of climatic conditions in Taiwan to enhance the hydropower efficiency while minimized the water shortage rate of long-term reservoir operation in the future by combining reservoir with water support systems. In the first part, we analyzed the annual inflows of the Shimen Reservoir in the past 20 years to analyze the most drought years. By setting up different amounts of initial reservoir storage and combining reservoir with water support systems, we simulated the long-term operation from October to next June under the official operation rules of the Shimen Reservoir (M-5 rule), and calculate the average water shortage rate (WSR) of every ten-day for both agricultural and public uses. The results show that the average WSR can be reduced up to 25%. In the second part, we maximized hydropower generation during typhoon season (July to September) while considering risks of future water supply through reservoir operations. We set three scenarios for initial water level (240, 235, 230 meters) and selected data from the past 11 years, including wet, general, and drought year, and applied Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II) to search for the total amount of hydropower generation and the final reservoir storage. In addition, we compared the optimized operations with those constrained by the M-5 Rule. The results show that the optimized operations enhance hydropower generation greatly in wet year, the highest benefit from the hydropower is more than NT$ 170 million by optimized operation and still NT$ 150 million under the M-5 Rule. In general years, the highest benefit is NT$ 48.32 million with optimized operation and NT$ 25.68 million under the M-5 limit. In drought years, the optimized operation is same as M-5 rule operations. In the third part, we integrated the long-term reservoir operation simulation in the first part and the short-term operation during typhoon season in the second part into a full year operation, analyzing future water security based on the optimal hydropower operation. To explore the water shortage simulation after typhoon season operation, we selected the driest situation in the past 20 years. The results show that the average WSR in every ten-day can be improved up to 10.5% in a wet year and up to 14.2% in general year. However, the average WSR in a drought year is the same as the original operation. In the fourth part, we focused on the reservoir operation based on typhoon event, in order to maximize the hydropower generation before a typhoon strikes. We set up three scenarios for the upper limit of water discharge rate for hydropower (68.6, 90, and 120 cms), and selected 7 typhoon events for different peak inflows, searching for total hydropower generation and the final reservoir storage by NSGA-II with the hourly-based time-scale. The results show that it’s feasible to operate for full capacity hydropower and final reservoir storage when the peak inflow is higher than 2000 cms. The benefit for hydropower is up to NT$ 44.7 million. However, when the peak flow is about 1000 cms, the final reservoir storage decreases, and the minimum is 12.277 million tons. In conclusion, the operation strategy that combined the optimized operations during typhoon season with the long-term operation can not only enhance the effectiveness of hydropower but also reduce the WSR in a drought year. Furthermore, analysis of typhoon event operation strengthened the benefits of hydropower during one single typhoon event, and eventually ameliorate synergistic benefits of resources allocation among water, food, and energy nexus.

Dissertação de mestrado em Engenharia Urbana
As alterações climáticas que se têm feito sentir nas últimas décadas, provocaram diversas alterações nos ecossistemas, que alterou o paradigma da gestão dos recursos hídricos. As necessidades de água para os consumos humanos são cada vez maiores, mas a disponibilidade não tem aumentado na mesma proporção. Sendo a água um recurso finito torna-se fundamental promover um uso eficiente e racional deste recurso. Para tal, é necessário aplicar indicadores de eficiência para avaliar o uso dos recursos hídricos. Para avaliar o uso dos recursos hídricos em sistemas agrícolas, no Concelho de Pinhel, na região da Beira Alta, em Portugal, usaram-se indicadores de eficiência compostos, através de um método denominado por Sefficiency. Este método apresenta vantagens em relação a outros, nomeadamente a universalidade de aplicação, o emprego de três escalas de análise (macro, meso e micro eficiências), com base em dois tipos de totais de água de um sistema: a entrada total e o consumo total. Estes indicadores consideram todos os fluxos de entrada e saída de água num sistema de gestão de recursos hídricos, incorporando um critério de utilidade, que é o produto de dois pesos, um referente à qualidade da água e outro ao benéfico uso da água. Nesta dissertação será analisada a eficiência em duas freguesias do concelho mencionado, bem como a relação entre estes dois sistemas, percebendo como o sistema mais a montante influenciará o que está mais a jusante. Para se tentou estudas como alterações no sistema (alteração de culturas, alteração de parâmetros energéticos, entre outros) poderão ser fatores de melhoria ou não. Apartir da analises destes fatores serão propostas ações de melhoria.
The climate change that has been felt in last decades, induced several changes in ecosystems, which changed the paradigm of water resources management. Water needed for human consumption are increasing, but availability has not increased in the same proportion. As water is a finite resource, it is fundamental to promote an efficient and rational use of this resource. To do this, it is necessary apply efficiency indicators to evaluate the use of water resources. In order to evaluate the use of water resources in agricultural systems, in the municipality of Pinhel, in the Beira Alta Region, in Portugal, it was used composed performance indicators, using a method called Sefficiency. This method has advantages over others, like the universality of application, the use of three scales of analysis (macro, meso and micro efficiencies), based on two types of a system water totals: total input and total consumption. These indicators consider all the inflows and outflows of water in a water resources management system, incorporating a utility criterion, which is the product of two weights, one referring to water quality and another to the beneficial use of water. This dissertation will analyze the efficiency in two villages of the region mentioned, as well as the relationship between these two systems, realizing how the upstream system will influence downstream system. For the purpose of studying how changes in the system (crop changes, energy parameters changes, among others) may be improvement factors or not. From the analysis of these factors will be proposed improvement actions.

碩士
國立臺灣大學
環境工程學研究所
105
Ever since the Summit of RIO 20+, water, energy and food had been recognized as three indispensable resources in the modern society. However, with the advance of technology, progress of economy, expansion of urban cities and growth of global population, demands of water, energy and food are dramatically increasing. From the conventional perspective, the risk analysis methods and adaptive strategies in terms of respective resource system concerning water, energy and food explore more on the issues associated with the resource itself; nevertheless, because of the interlinked relationships of these three resources, a resource-based adaptive strategy lacking of comprehensive consideration will cause severe influences on the other factors, further leading to a greater risk among the whole nexus of water, energy and food. Therefore, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) proposed the first model of water, energy and food in the Bonn seminar of Germany in 2011, which mentioned that risk analysis on resources and selections of strategies, shouldn’t merely consider the interior security of one single resource but have a comprehensive analysis on the interlinkage. Analyzing security of resources based on nexus-model of water, energy and food allows researchers to have the best adaptive strategy. Also, this study constructed a urban-scaled model of regional water and nexus of food and energy (WEF Nexus) by quantifying aggregations of supplies and demands on resources, which was according to results from resource flow analysis of water, energy and food system. Also, scenario analysis was performed by following the historical data of the use of resources to explore the variations on resources demands. The method is able to assess the security benefits brought by the adaptations to the region. Using Kinmen as a case, this study built up a model of regional nexus of water, food and energy, and evaluated of the risks in resources. The study suggests suitable adaptations based on different conditions of water resources in the region. Therefore, the supply of water, energy, and food might be stable within nearly a decade. The result shows that the main resource problem in Kinmen is water due to lack of water reserves. Moreover, to manufacture Sorghum wine, factories in Kinmen overpumped groundwater. It also leads to the effect. To lower the risk caused by the water problem, the study analyzed various adjustments and found that the best solution includes water supply from Mainland China, waste water recycling and EDI, technology of desalination. However, because of geopolitical reasons, the study suggests to take waste water recycling and EDI desalination as the priority. Not only will it enable water resources to be supplied more securely and stably, but also it will not disturb the supplyof food and energy

碩士
國立臺北科技大學
環境工程與管理研究所
106
Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather and Africa is considered most susceptible to climate change. Projections of the impact of climate change on food production indicate that about 2/3 of Africas agricultural land is predicted to be perished by 2025 due to reduced rainfall and decreasing yields of up to 50% in other Sub Saharan countries like the Gambia where more than 90% of crop production depends on rain-fed agriculture. Agriculture is the cornerstone of the Gambian economy, the main source of food and employment but only about 1% of the cultivated land uses irrigation. Thus, this high dependence on rain-fed agriculture on peculiar climatic conditions culminates into; poor agricultural performance, increasing food insecurity and unprecedented household income losses. Hence, there is a need to strengthen agriculture resilience while mitigating and adapting to climate change. However, agricultural sustainability cannot be achieved without sustainable water and energy supply especially in the face of climate change. Therefore, the goal of this study is to propose a Climate Resilient Framework for sustainable agriculture that will address food, energy and water sustainability while mitigating climate change in the Gambia. The methodology used in this research determines priority approaches to climate resilience and adaptation framework for sustainable agriculture in the Gambia. A proposed climate resilient framework consisting of 4 dimensions of the nexus components, 20 criteria and 52 indicators was validated and verified by 11 environmental experts in the Gambia using Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM). Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) was employed for prioritization of each dimension, criterion and indicator. The FAHP results indicate that, among the 4 dimensions of the water-food-energy-climate, water (0.276) is considered the highest priority area for climate resilience and adaptation followed by food (0.265), energy (0.242), and then Climate change (0.217) respectively. Based on the results of this study, water security should be the highest priority followed by food, energy and then climate change mitigation. Prioritizing approaches will help policy-makers to identify high priority intervention areas to promote agricultural resilience to climate change, enhance food and energy security as well as mitigating climate change in the Gambia.

碩士
國立臺灣大學
環境工程學研究所
106
Along with the continuously increasing demand for services, the problem of food, energy and water security is of raising significance. The nexus representing these three resources are interconnected with each other. Consequently, there is a need to develop an assessment framework and methodology considering the interrelationships. Crop cultivation usually accounts for large amounts of water consumption and land occupation. In addition, it also consumes many energy during the cultivation and raw materials production. Besides, a high degree of inefficiency in water use and energy inputs leads to additional environmental impact as well. In order to increase the efficiency of crops cultivation and reduce environmental burden, converting biomass from the agricultural residues into bioenergy is considered as a way to sustainable development. Nevertheless, the real benefit is still unclear due to different regional situation; the influence of climate change also causes the uncertainty on water availability. Due to these defects, it is necessary to develop a comprehensive assessment system considering environmental impacts. The objective of this study is to address an integrated optimization model that integrates life cycle assessment and climate change simulation. This optimization model is able to provide an environmental assessment for bioenergy production, and climate change simulation for irrigation water requirements estimation. The objective functions in the optimization model is to maximization the amount of environmental impact reduction under multiple constraints. The use of water resources, the demand for food supply and area of arable land are considered. The result indicates that the rice cultivation caused the most severe environmental impact comparing with corn and sugarcane cultivation. As for bioenergy, co-firing hard coal with bio-coal is of benefit on all four damage categories (i.e., human health, ecosystem quality, climate change and resources). Gasohol blended with corn stover-based cellulosic ethanol is of benefit among four categories as well while that blend with sugarcane bagasse-based cellulosic ethanol will cause more impact than corn stover-based ones. Considering the change on irrigation water availability, the optimal results indicates that the rice cultivation should be reduced to achieve water resources limit in some scenarios, and is supposed to increase within the limit of water resources. The corn and sugarcane cultivation in eastern region should be switch to southern region under all scenarios. This study provides decision makers an instruction to develop agriculture and energy strategies regarding both resource use efficiency and environmental impact.

碩士
國立臺灣大學
環境工程學研究所
107
As water, energy and food resource demands and interdependencies continue to increase, the WEF resource management strategies of a single problem-oriented thinking mode have been gradually replaced bythe nexus thinking mode attaching importance to the relationship between different resources. By this way, it is considered to avoid problem transfer and bring co-benefits. However, although the WEF Nexus concept has been widely accepted, most of the current literature on WEF Nexus only provides guidelines for resource management. There is no standard method for decision making. On account of complex relationship between WEF resources, if quantitative assessment tools are used to provide numerical result for the issue, decision makers can have better decision-making basis. This study intends to use quantitative assessment tools to analyze the correlation of environmental impacts between water, energy and food resources systems on large scales from the perspective of urban metabolism. This study integrates material flow analysis (MFA) with life cycle assessment (LCA) as the tool. MFA is used to clarify the process of water, energy and food from production to consumption to understand the role of various socio-economic sectors and WEF sectors. LCA is used to quantify environmental impact as an evaluation indicator. In the overall impact calculation, the two calculation methods of the WEF subsystem and the total system are distinguished. At the same time, in order to observe the influence of resource nexus relationship on the result, the nexus coefficient matrix established on the basis of the current scenario material flow analysis is used to locate the most influential process in the nexus system regarding environmental impact by a sensitivity analysis. Then, based on the current government''s management strategy for the future WEF resources, the nexus coefficient is adjusted as the future scenarios, and the multi-sector strategic scenario are compared with the single-sector strategic scenario. From the results of sensitivity analysis and scenarios analysis, the influences of changes in nexus relationships on the environment impactd of the different system is evaluated under the same resource requirements. By the current scenario MFA, it is found that water treatment, oil refining, steam and electricity symbiosis, thermoelectric power plant, irrigation, livestock, and aquaculture processes require WEF resources which are in the boundary. Among them, the water supply plant, the public power plant, the steam and electricity co-generation plant, and the refinery have bidirectional relationship with each other''s final products as needed, so the environmental impact is affected by each other. The midpoint indicators displayed ReCiPe methodology is applied to evaluate the environmental impact. From the current scenario environmental impact result of the total system, the public power contributes the most on seven impact categories such as climate change; the oil product contributes the most on fossil depletion ozone depletion, ionising radiation; the tap water contributes the most on metal depletion; the livestock products contributes the most on terrestrial ecotoxicity. Among them, the public power is the most demanded by the industrial sector; the tap water and the livestock products is the most demanded by residential sector; the oil product is the most demanded by the export. From the current scenario environmental impact result of the subsystem, excluding human toxicity, marine ecotoxicity, water depletion, and metal depletion, the energy system has a main contribution on the rest of the impact in the water system. By contrast, the main contribution of energy system impacts comes from itself, and only on water depletion, the water system is influential. When it come to the food system, ozone depletion, ionising radiation, and fossil depletion energy systems is influential. The sensitivity of the 16 nexus coefficients to the current scenario impact results is analyzed. It is found that the coefficient of water leakage is the first to influence the total, water and energy systems on climate change, water depletion and metal depletion. The future scenarios analysis shows that the water-energy bi-strategy scenario has more impact than the single-strategy scenario on terrestrial ecotoxicity and freshwater ecotoxicity; and more improvement on water depletion and metal depletion for total system. In contrast with total system, for water system, on seven impact categories such as climate change, the impact of the water resources development plan has slowed down under the non-nuclear home power generation structure, but it is still higher than the basic scenario. It is mainly necessary to improve the water energy nexus coefficient by itself. In conclusion, this study uses material flow analysis combined with life cycle assessment methods to convert a variety of products from resource quantities to environmental impact indicators as a unified comparison standard, and assess the environment impact relationship between WEF systems under different scenarios of water-energy technologies. Through this study, we improve the understanding of the metabolism of WEF nexus systems, with a view to promoting cross-sectoral synergy benefit.

A sustainable supply of fresh water for the human population is a global concern. Intriguingly, about 70% of the total fresh water consumed in the world annually is claimed by agriculture alone; this fraction is even higher in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, where natural regeneration of groundwater is the slowest. Thus, there is a serious need for innovative materials and technologies to enhance the efficiency water usage in agriculture. To this end, plastic mulches have been employed across the developed world to minimize evaporative loss of water from top-soils. While plastic mulches are inexpensive, they do require specialized farm machinery for installation and long processing times. On one hand, plastic mulches have proven to increase crop yields, but on the other their non-biodegradability poses serious environmental concerns. In response, development of low-cost bio-/photo-degradable artificial mulches remains an area of intense research. In this thesis, we report on a novel superhydrophobic material exploiting inexpensive simple components to reduce the amount of water required for irrigation in agriculture by suppressing evaporative losses from the top-soil. Our material consists of ordinary beach sand coated with < 20 nm thick layer of paraffin wax. We synthesized and extensively characterized our material and applied them as mulches for tomato and barley plants at the KAUST greenhouse. We found that when a ~5 mm thick layer of superhydrophobic sand was placed onto the top-soil in pots, it dramatically suppressed evaporative losses and significantly enhanced the yields. Our preliminary field-scale experiments with tomatoes and barley crops at the Hada Al Sham site corroborate these results. Our approach might find applications in desert agriculture and other fields and alleviate water stress in the MENA region.

A fundamental change in societal values and economic structures is required to address increasing pressures on ecosystems and natural resources. Transition research has developed in the last decades to analyze the co-dynamics of technological, institutional, social and economic elements in the provision of key functions such as energy, water and food supply. This doctoral dissertation provides conceptual and methodological contributions to the pro-active governance of sustainability transitions. Three research gaps are identified that are addressed in this dissertation. First, a comprehensive conceptualization of learning in sustainability transitions is currently missing that comprises learning at multiple societal levels (ranging from individuals to policy-actors). Learning concepts are often not explicitly discussed in transition research even though learning is considered as fundamental for innovation processes, niche formation and development as well as breakthrough and diffusion of innovations. Second, methods for the analysis and design of transition governance processes are lacking that specify case-specific intervention points and roles of actors in the implementation of innovations. Third, participatory modeling approaches are only applied to a limited extent in transition research despite a high potential for supporting communication and learning. The conceptualization of multi-level learning developed in this doctoral research conceptualizes learning at different societal levels as specific learning contexts ranging from individual and group contexts to organizational and policy contexts. The conceptual framework further differentiates between learning processes, intensity, objects, outcomes, subjects and factors, allowing for a more detailed analysis of learning within and across learning contexts. Thus, learning contexts can be linked by processes that involve actors from different learning contexts (e.g., community groups and policy-makers), as well as exchanges of physical aspects, institutions and knowledge (in the form of ‘learning factors’). This research has also provided a classification of model uses in transition research that supports a purposeful discussion of the opportunities of modeling and promising future research directions. The methodology developed in this doctoral research aims at the analysis and design of transition governance processes by specifying the various opportunities to contribute to sustainability transitions through purposeful action at different societal levels, as well as related roles of stakeholders in implementing such processes of change. The methodology combines different streams of previous research: 1) a participatory modeling approach to identify problem perceptions, case-specific sustainability innovations as well as related implementation barriers, drivers and responsibilities; 2) a systematic review to identify supportive and impeding learning factors from the general literature that can complement case-specific factors; and 3) a method for the analysis and design of case-specific transition governance processes. Three case studies in Canada (topic: sustainable food systems), Cyprus (water-energy-food nexus) and Germany (sustainable heating supply) have been selected to test and iteratively develop the methodology described above. The results for each case study reveal that there are learning objects (i.e., learning requirements) in all learning contexts, which underscores the importance of multi-level learning in sustainability transitions, ranging from the individual to the group, organizational and policy levels. Actors have various opportunities to actively facilitate societal transformations towards sustainable development either directly through actions at their particular societal levels (i.e., context-internal learning) or indirectly through actions that influence learning at other societal levels. In fact, most of the learning factors require cooperation across learning contexts during the implementation process. The comparing of learning factors across case studies underline the importance of several factor categories, such as ‘physical a ‘disturbance or crisis’, ‘information and knowledge’. Of the 206 factors identified by stakeholders, 40 factors are case-specific and not contained in the general, review-based factor list. This underscores the value of participatory research, as general, top-down analyses might have overlooked these case-specific factors. The methodology presented in this dissertation allows for the identification and analysis of case-specific intervention points for sustainability transitions at multiple societal levels. The methodology furthermore permits the analysis of interplay between individual, group, organizational and policy actions, which is a first step towards their coordination. The focus on sustainability innovations links the broad topic of sustainability transitions to a set of opportunities for practical interventions and overcoming their implementation barriers. The methodology presented allows for the analysis and design of these interlinkages between learning contexts. While the methodology cannot provide any ‘silver bullets’ for inducing sustainability transitions, it is flexible enough to identify an appropriate abstraction level for analyzing and designing transition governance processes. The methodology developed in this doctoral research also provides several contributions for the development of participatory modeling methods in transition research. Thus, the participatory method supports an integrated analysis of barriers and drivers of sustainability innovations, and allows application in practice and education. The concepts and methods developed in this research project allow for reflection on transition governance processes from a systemic viewpoint. Experiences in the case studies underline the applicability of the concepts and methods developed for the analysis of case-specific transition governance processes. Despite substantial differences in the geographic location, culture and topics addressed, all case studies include promising sustainability innovations and the engagement of multiple actors in their implementation. The diversity and multitude of initiatives in the case study regions provides an optimistic outlook on future opportunities for large-scale sustainability transitions.

necessidade de tornar sistemas de redes sem fios energeticamente autónomos, independentes de baterias, tem sido um desafio essencial tanto de cariz tecnológico como económico e ambiental. Nomeadamente, em sistemas de gestão e tratamento de água. Com a particularidade de hoje já ser reconhecido o impacto que os setores de água, energia e alimentação têm entre si devido a sua relação intrínseca: Nexus- food, water, energy. Esta dissertação procura responder a desafios tecnológicos dentro do sector energético dos sensores sem fios. E, inserir esta solução no sector hídrico procurando formas de converter energia que à partida está a ser dissipada, em forma de calor, em energia elétrica. De maneira a conseguir implementar esta solução é feito o estudo sobre transdutores termoelétricos, em particular a célula de Peltier. Este transdutor permite converter energia térmica em energia elétrica. Para que a célula consiga alimentar um microprocessador é desenvolvida uma placa PCB que consiga elevar e regular a tensão de saída ca célula. Adicionalmente, é feita a concetualização um protótipo que simula situações reais que possibilitam estabelecer e recolher um gradiente de temperatura. Ou seja, levando a que seja possível gerar energia elétrica que alimente a componente eletrónica.
The need to overcome the dependency of wireless sensors from batteries has been a technological, economic and environmental challenge. Namely, in water management and treatment systems. Particularly, today it is known the impact that water, energy and food have on each other since their relationship it is complex and intrinsic. This concept it is known as Nexus: food, water and energy. This dissertation seeks to respond to the technological challenges within the energy sector of wireless sensors. And insert this solution into the water sector searching ways to convert energy that is being dissipated, in the form of heat, into electrical energy. In order to implement this solution, a study is made on thermoelectric transducers, in particular the Peltier cell. This transducer allows to convert thermal energy into electrical energy. In order for the cell feed the microprocessor a PCB board is developed and therefore it is possible to raise and regulate the output voltage to the cell. Additionally, a prototype is developed that simulates real situations that make it possible to establish and collect a temperature gradient. Leading to being possible to generate electrical energy that feeds an electronic component.

Sebbene l’agricoltura irrigua sia ritenuta una delle principali fonti di sfrutta-mento di entrambi le risorse idriche ed energetiche, è’ ampiamente accettato che es-sa svolge un ruolo fondamentale per lo sviluppo socio-economico di molti paesi dell' area mediterranea. Data la sua importanza, in un contesto in cui le risorse idriche sono sempre più soggette a pressioni crescenti a causa delle diverse sfide globali (ad esempio, il cambiamento climatico, la crescita demografica e lo sviluppo eco-nomico), vi è urgente necessità di gestire in maniera sostenibile le risorse idriche destinate a scopi irrigui al fine di garantire elevate rese produttive. Tuttavia, le dinamiche complesse che si instaurano all’interno di un sistema di gestione idrica ad uso irriguo rendono la gestione sostenibile delle risorse idriche di difficile attuazione. Tali sistemi, infatti, sono caratterizzati da un elevata complessità dovuta al compor-tamento di numerosi attori da cui l’utilizzo di risorse naturali dipende e che influisce sulla dinamica del sistema stesso. Non basta, dunque, guardare solo agli aspetti quantitativi dell’utilizzo di risorse idriche (e.g., impatti ammbientali), ma, al fine di supportare la loro gestione sostenibile, è indispensabile anche un’attenta conoscen-za del sistema e della sua dinamica. Da qui deriva, la necessità di affrontare le prob-lematiche della gestione delle risorse idriche in maiera olistica mediante approcci in-tegrati e multidisciplinari. Tra gli emergenti approcci integrati e multidisciplinari, in ambito scientifico si è af-fermato recentemente il paradigma del nesso tra Acqua-Energia-Cibo, che si configu-ra come un adeguata metodologia capace di supportare la gestione sostenibile delle risorse idriche attraverso l’analisi dei complessi legami tra le risorse naturali inte-grando gli aspetti gestionali della risorsa su scala intersettoriale. Partendo da queste premesse, al fine di affrontare olisticamente le problematiche del-la gestione sostenibile delle risorse idriche ad uso irriguo, il seguente studio di ricer-ca propone una metodologia innovativa e integrata in grado di operazionalizzare il paradigma di Acqua-Energia-Cibo a scala locale. In particolare la metodologia im-plementata è in grado di valutare le multi-implicazioni dell'uso dell'acqua irrigua at-traverso l'identificazione dei principali fattori che influiscono sul prelievo e lo sfrutta-mento delle risorse idriche. Per cui, al fine di studiare le dinamiche che si instaurano in un sistema di gestione idrica ad uso irriguo, è stato implementato un modello concettuale attraverso l’utilizzo di diagrammi causa-effetto (i.e., Causal loop Dia-grams), considerando un caso di studio rappresentativo situato al Sud Italia nella re-gione Puglia. Tale analisi ha consentito la conoscenza e la definizione dei confini so-ciali ed ambientali del sistema considerato indispenzabile per la definizione degli in-dicatori di sostenibilità rappresentativi della dinamica del sistema. Dunque, tre indici di sostenibilità basati sul concetto di "impronta" sono stati definiti per quantificare l'implicazione multidimensionale della pratica irrigua. In primo luogo, l'Indice di “Im-pronta idrica ad uso irriguo” mira a valutare l'impatto dell'uso dell'acqua irrigua sulle risorse idriche disponibili di una determinata area. In secondo luogo, l'Indice di “Im-pronta Energetica per l’irrigazione” quantifica la quantità di energia consumata per i prelievi e il pompaggio dell'acqua rispetto ai ricavi unitari delle colture. Infine, l'Indice di “Impronta economica” permette la valutazione dei benefici economici della produzione agricola rispetto ai costi dell'acqua utilizzata per l'irrigazione. Tutti gli indi-ci sono stati espressi sia in forma aggregata che separata al fine di valutare gli impatti e i benefici legati all'uso di specifiche fonti idriche quali ad esempio superficiali e sot-terranee. Infine, l'integrazione degli approcci di cui sopra viene inoltre proposta come ele-mento innovativo del seguente lavoro di ricerca, per supportare la gestione sos-tenibile delle risorse idriche. Difatti, gli indici rappresentano uno strumento im-portante per valutare quantitativamente lo stato dello sfruttamento delle risorse, ma rivelano poco della dinamiche di un dato sistema irriguo, la cui conoscenza è indis-pensabile per valutare l’efficacia dell’implementazione di una data politica di sos-tenibilità. I risultati ottenuti consentono di trarre alcune conclusioni generali dettagliatamente spiegate nei seguenti capitoli di tesi. In primo luogo, la fitta rete di relazioni tra i di-versi attori decisionali coinvolti influenza fortemente la dinamica del sistema. In se-condo luogo, i comportamenti degli attori sono influenzati sia da fattori esterni (prez-zo di mercato del raccolto e disponibilità idrica) che da vincoli interni (ad esempio, tariffe idriche). Infine, l'efficacia a medio-lungo termine di una determinata politica è influenzata dalla dinamica del Sistema. Pertanto l’integrazione tra aspetti qualitativi della dinamica del sistema con gli aspetti quantitative di utilizzo di risorse idriche si è rivelata di fondamentale importanza per conoscere l'efficacia dell’implementazione di una plausibile politica di sostenibilità nel breve, medio-lungo termine.
Irrigated agriculture plays a vital role for socio-economic development of the Mediterranean area, although it is the largest exploiter of both water and energy re-sources. Given its importance, in a context in which water resources experience in-creasing pressure due to different global challenges (i.e., climate change, growth population and economic development among others), there is an urgent need of sustainable management of irrigation water resources. Nevertheless, it is extremely challenging, especially at the local scale, due to several complex and interconnected dynamics establishing in a given irrigation system. In such systems, multiple actors are indeed involved in decision-making processes, and the use of natural resources strongly depends on their behaviors affecting the dynamics of the system itself. As result, facing sustainable management of water resources issues through only a technical knowledge is not enough. Whereas, a careful knowledge of the system and its dynamics is essential for supporting a sustainable management of water re-sources. For the above reasons, integrated approach are needed for dealing with ho-listically water management issues. Among the recent integrated approaches devel-oped in scientific literature the Water-Energy-Food Nexus is surely an useful method-ology for supporting sustainable management of water resources by studying com-plex linkages among resources and integrating management and governance across sector and scale. In order to holistically evaluate sustainable resource management, this study proposes an innovative integrated methodology capable to operationalize the Water Energy Food Nexus (WEFN) at local level evaluating the multi-dimensional implications of irrigation use by identifying the main factors controlling the selection and exploitation of water sources. In detail, a model based on Causal Loop Diagrams (CLD) was implemented in a case study, used as reference, located in Southern Italy in order to get a deeper insight into a complex irrigation system. Moreover, three sustainability indices based on the “footprint” concept were defined in order to quan-tify the multidimensional implication of irrigation practice. Firstly, the Irrigation Water Footprint Index aims to evaluate the impacts of irrigation use on the available water resources of a given area. Secondly, the Energy Footprint for Irrigation Index quanti-fies the amount of energy consumed for water withdrawals and pumping, compared to the unit crop revenue. Finally, the Irrigation Water-Cost Footprint Index supports the evaluation of the economic benefits of agricultural production, compared with the costs of water for irrigation. All indices can be expressed both in an aggregated and disaggregated form to assess the impacts and benefits related to the use of specific water sources. Moreover, the integration of the aforementioned approaches is also proposed as the innovative element for supporting the sustainable management of water resources. Indeed, indices are important instrument to quantitatively evaluate the state of resources exploitation, but they reveal little of a given irrigation system dynamics, which are essential to quantify for identifying the effectiveness of a given sustainability policy. The obtained results reveal some general conclusions. As first finding, a dense network of relationships among different decisional actors involved strongly influence the dynamic of the system. Moreover, it is clear that actor behav-iors is affected by external drivers (i.e., crop market price and water availability) and internal constraints (e.g., water tariff). At the end, the mid-long time effectiveness of a given policy is affected by system dynamic.

In this thesis, a conceptual framework and related methodological approaches for complex system design are developed and tested. The approaches are based on insights from the fields of Systems Engineering (SE) and System-of-Systems Engineering (SoSE), as well as Natural Resources Management (NRM). The focus of this thesis is on: 1) the development of the System-of-Systems Design Framework “FRESCO”, 2) the development of a methodological framework for participatory systems design, 3) the application of the framework in two case studies, and 4) the development of an evaluation scheme to qualitatively measure the effectiveness of the methodological framework. The overall objectives of this doctoral dissertation are to highlight synergies between SE and NRM and to develop a methodological framework for designing decision making processes in a human-nature-technology context. The complexity of coupled and complex adaptive systems (CAS) such as the Water-Energy-Food Nexus (WEF-Nexus) and sustainability strategies, influences the design of decision-making processes and strategy building. Integrated process design which is promoted by the developed frameworks can assist in such tasks on an urban, regional, and national level.

This interdisciplinary thesis studies the diverse multi-stakeholder networks that are constitutive of contemporary water governance. It examines collaborative governance networks from a relational perspective in two case study watersheds in Tanzania and Ethiopia. Collaborative and networked governance approaches are increasingly promoted to address complex water challenges, but relatively little is known about how the everyday collaborative relationships (i.e. collaboration practices) among the multiple actors involved in the development, management and use of water, shape contemporary water governance processes. In this thesis, I advance, based on intensive fieldwork data collection, a conceptual and methodological framework for studying collaboration networks pertaining to watershed management. I examine local collaborative governance networks in two watersheds, in Ethiopia and Tanzania, from a relational perspective, using complementary qualitative and quantitative social network research methods. The thesis explores the opportunities and limitations of such collaborative governance networks in their concrete functioning, thereby contributing to a more context-sensitive, and nuanced, understanding of the role of governance networks and collaborative governance approaches in the management of water and related resources.