The Nexus Of Energy And Water In The United States

This manuscript presents an overview and a relevant framework for thinking about the nexus of energy and water. Here are the key points of this article: Energy and water are interrelated; we use energy for water and water for energy The Energy-water relationship is under strain, and that strain introduces cross-sectoral vulnerabilities (that is, a water constraint can become an energy constraint, and an energy constraint can induce a water constraint) Trends imply that this strain will be exacerbated because of 1) growth in total demand for energy and water, primarily driven by population growth, 2) growth in per capita demand for energy and water, primarily driven by economic growth, 3) global climate change, which will distort the availability of water, and 4) policy choices, by which we are selecting more water-intensive energy and more energy-intensive water