Systems thinking on the resource nexus: Modeling and visualisation tools to identify critical interlinkages for resilient and sustainable societies and institutions

Laspidou, Chrysi; Μέλλιος, Νικόλαος; Spyropoulou, Alexandra; Kofinas, Dimitris; Papadopoulou, Maria P.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137264

Cited by 76 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…It allows determining key indicators and data-intensive aspects, supporting, e.g., data prioritisation, indicator selection. This has also been recognised as relevant in other fields dealing with complex systems, e.g., resource nexus (e.g., Laspidou et al 2020). However, interlinkage directionality, based on features such as causality, was not considered.…”

Section: Supporting Decision-making Via the Analytical Conceptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Translating the ‘water scarcity – water reuse’ situation into an information system for decision-making

Müller

Schanze

2021

Sustain Sci

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One key challenge of water resources management is the identification and processing of the information necessary for decision-making. This article aims to provide avenues for translating a ‘water scarcity–water reuse’ (WS–WR) situation into an information system. It is dedicated to supporting an integrated assessment in decision-making with the final goal of optimising water scarcity risk reduction and water reuse sustainability. The approach combines the following two strands: (1) specific interpretation of systems thinking and (2) systemic characterisation and interlinkage of indicators. The result is an analytical concept that translates the WS–WR situation into an information system consisting of two structured components, a multi-layer (ML) and a lane-based (LB) approach. While the multi-layer approach supports the description of the elements of the biophysical and information systems such as endpoints and descriptors, respectively, the lane-based approach aids in understanding the importance of indicators within the entire system and their distribution across risk and sustainability realms. The findings from a generic exemplification of the analytical concept depict the feasibility of identifying system-based endpoints representing the WS–WR situation and their translation via descriptors to an interlinked indicator set to jointly assess water scarcity risk and sustainability of the water reuse measures. Therefore, this analytical concept supports addressing the water resources management information challenge via a structured representation of the system’s complexity and the quantification and visualisation of interlinkages between the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of water scarcity risk and water reuse sustainability.

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Section: Supporting Decision-making Via the Analytical Conceptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Translating the ‘water scarcity – water reuse’ situation into an information system for decision-making

Müller

Schanze

2021

Sustain Sci

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“…(2019) developed a heuristic algorithm that quantifies the intensity of interlinkages amongst five nexus components (water, energy, food, land use and climate) in Greece, taking into account both direct and indirect interrelationships. They also developed a modelling platform to run nexus scenarios and produce forecasted trends ( Laspidou et al., 2020 ). Daccache et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An analytical framework to assess SDG targets within the context of WEFE nexus in the Mediterranean region

Malagó

Comero

Bouraoui

et al. 2021

Resources, Conservation and Recycling

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Highlights 29 case studies of WEFE nexus implementation were analysed in the Mediterranean area. An analytical framework was developed investigating the impacts of 15 SDGs. Economic, societal, and environmental perspectives were investigated. The magnitude of interconnection of nexus pillars with SDGs was explicitly quantified. Six types of technologies were assessed in achieving the SDG targets and WEFE nexus. The analysis showed the need of a more holistic nexus approach integrated into the project design.

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“…An SD model can help visualizing the interrelationships between discrete sectors, the dynamic changes, and the interdependences among FEW systems (Simonovic and Fahmy, 1999). It also allows the use of scenario-based analysis to simulate past, current, and forecast future resource availability and consumption (Fiksel, 2003;Bieber et al, 2018;Laspidou et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Integrated Food, Energy, and Water Nexus, Human Well-Being, and Resilience (FEW-WISE) Framework: New Mexico

Yadav

Geli

Cibils

et al. 2021

Front. Environ. Sci.

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Interconnected food, energy, and water (FEW) nexus systems face many challenges to support human well-being (HWB) and maintain resilience, especially in arid and semiarid regions like New Mexico (NM), United States (US). Insufficient FEW resources, unstable economic growth due to fluctuations in prices of crude oil and natural gas, inequitable education and employment, and climate change are some of these challenges. Enhancing the resilience of such coupled socio-environmental systems depends on the efficient use of resources, improved understanding of the interlinkages across FEW system components, and adopting adaptable alternative management strategies. The goal of this study was to develop a framework that can be used to enhance the resilience of these systems. An integrated food, energy, water, well-being, and resilience (FEW-WISE) framework was developed and introduced in this study. This framework consists mainly of five steps to qualitatively and quantitatively assess FEW system relationships, identify important external drivers, integrate FEW systems using system dynamics models, develop FEW and HWB performance indices, and develop a resilience monitoring criterion using a threshold-based approach that integrates these indices. The FEW-WISE framework can be used to evaluate and predict the dynamic behavior of FEW systems in response to environmental and socioeconomic changes using resilience indicators. In conclusion, the derived resilience index can be used to inform the decision-making processes to guide the development of alternative scenario-based management strategies to enhance the resilience of ecological and socioeconomic well-being of vulnerable regions like NM.

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Systems thinking on the resource nexus: Modeling and visualisation tools to identify critical interlinkages for resilient and sustainable societies and institutions

Cited by 76 publications

References 38 publications

Translating the ‘water scarcity – water reuse’ situation into an information system for decision-making

Translating the ‘water scarcity – water reuse’ situation into an information system for decision-making

An analytical framework to assess SDG targets within the context of WEFE nexus in the Mediterranean region

An Integrated Food, Energy, and Water Nexus, Human Well-Being, and Resilience (FEW-WISE) Framework: New Mexico

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