Uncover the interdependent environmental impacts associated with the water-energy-food nexus under resource management strategies
Journal
Resources, Conservation and Recycling
Journal Volume
160
Date Issued
2020
Author(s)
Abstract
This study uses Taiwan's WEF nexus as a case study to demonstrate how the resource flow and associated environmental impact of the WEF nexus can be assessed as basis for evaluating strategies for promoting the sustainable use of natural resources. In this study, material flow analysis (MFA) and life-cycle assessment (LCA), were combined. The MFA was used to examine the interdependence of the three natural resources, and the LCA was used to evaluate the environmental impacts of the WEF system. The WEF nexus analysis shows that tap water supply, oil refining, the cogeneration of steam and electricity, thermoelectric power plants, irrigation, animal husbandry, and aquaculture are the main interwoven nodes and have the most prominent impact on the three natural resources. When the unit products from the WEF system were determined, LCA was implemented for these products to identify 15 types of environmental impacts. The environmental impacts for the WEF system were then calculated based on the use of unit products. The results of LCA showed that the most prominent impacts are the impact of public electricity on climate change; oil products on ozone depletion and ionizing radiation; tap water on metal depletion; and animal husbandry on terrestrial ecotoxicity. Based on the assessment of the alternative resource management strategies, if both water and energy policies are modified simultaneously, the impact of the overall WEF system on most environmental impact categories could be reduced. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.
Subjects
Environmental impact; LCA; Material flow analysis; Resource policy adaptation; Urban metabolism; Water-energy-food nexus
Other Subjects
Agriculture; Animals; Climate change; Cogeneration plants; Environmental management; Ionizing radiation; Life cycle; Natural resources management; Oils and fats; Ozone layer; Petroleum industry; Petroleum refining; Resource allocation; Steam power plants; Thermoelectric power plants; Water resources; Water supply; Animal husbandry; Life Cycle Assessment (LCA); Material flow analysis; Ozone depletion; Resource flows; Resource management; Sustainable use; Water and energies; Environmental impact; oil; tap water; energy resource; environmental impact; food supply; life cycle analysis; material flow analysis; resource management; sustainability; water resource; animal husbandry; aquaculture; Article; climate change; ecotoxicity; electric power plant; electricity; energy resource; environmental impact; flow measurement; ionizing radiation; irrigation (agriculture); life cycle assessment; natural resource; ozone depletion; water supply; Taiwan; Animalia
Type
journal article