Climate, Land and Energy Analytical study of Potential Nexus Issues in Jordan and Morocco
With the goal of contributing to carrying out the “Implementing the 2030 Agenda for water efficiency/productivity and water sustainability in NENA countries” project, funded by the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, KTH is providing analyses and support on decision making across the climate, land energy and water spheres in Morocco and Jordan
Funded by:
UN Food and Agricultural Organization
Time period:
2017-2020
Project partners:
UN Food and Agricultural Organization
Stockholm Environmental Institute
Background
The term ‘nexus’ has been used in a variety of contexts with the aim of advancing in the understanding of how sectors are inter-linked, how within-sector policies impact with each other and, in turn, to inform coherent cross-sectoral governance. When resources become scarcer and demand for them increases, developing and implementing sectoral plans independently, without accounting for physical constraints and trade-offs and impacts across sectors, becomes very risky because spill-over effects across sectoral policies become more expensive and unsustainable. In other words, the interlinkage (or “nexus”) between sectors becomes stronger and this calls for coherent, responsible and consultative planning.
As the recently approved Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call upon the nations of the world to improve conditions related to water (SDG6), energy (SDG7), hunger and nutrition (SDG2), terrestrial (SDG15) and aquatic (SDG14) ecosystems, and global climate change (SDG13), the extremely water-scarce NENA Region represents a priority area for early application of the nexus approach to support the achievement of the SDGs, with the primary entry point being improved water management.
The challenge in this context lies in the defining of a safe operating space for water sustainability, such that actions implemented towards meeting SDG6 do not undercut efforts to meet other SDGs. This is a possibility given how water management both consumes (i.e. pumping) and produces (i.e. hydropower) electricity, supports food production, and shapes the provision of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem services. This framing motivates a definition of how much water is available to support energy and food production, and ecosystem services, so that risky excursions beyond the safe operating limits of a water system do not cause other important systems, including ecosystems, to collapse.
Aim and objectives
With the goal of contributing to carrying out the “Implementing the 2030 Agenda for water efficiency/productivity and water sustainability in NENA countries” project, funded by the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, KTH is providing analyses and support on decision making across the climate, land energy and water spheres in Morocco and Jordan.
Quantitative analysis carried out in support of the nexus dialogue seeks to identify opportunities to better capitalize on potential synergies available through coordinated nexus policy making and to avoid conflicts that may materialize in the future. The participatory process will shift to identifying specific water management actions that can be taken to sustainably promote progress towards the achievement of nexus related SDGs.
Outcomes
First two in-country workshops undertaken during 2018 and 2019, and now working with the local Moroccan and Jordanian relevant ministries to develop robust and sound policy-making harmonized across the climate, land energy and water spheres
Project contact persons
Project Leader
