A Nexus Approach to Water, Energy, and Food Security in Northern Canada

Residents of northern Canada experience high rates of water, energy, and food (WEF) insecurity relative to the national average. Historically, WEF systems have been treated independently with little policy or institutional coordination occurring between sectors. This paper presents the results of a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ARCTIC
Main Authors: Natcher, David, Ingram, Shawn
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: The Arctic Institute of North America 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.14430/arctic72045
https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/download/72045/54740
Description
Summary:Residents of northern Canada experience high rates of water, energy, and food (WEF) insecurity relative to the national average. Historically, WEF systems have been treated independently with little policy or institutional coordination occurring between sectors. This paper presents the results of a WEF nexus analysis for northern Canada. We assess the positive and negative interactions between the WEF sectors that could facilitate or impede the attainment of WEF-related sustainable development goals. Out of 210 pair-wise interactions, 87% were found to be synergistic of some magnitude, meaning that efforts to address insecurity in one WEF sector will have positive spillover effects toward the others. With synergies significantly outweighing trade-offs, opportunities exist to simultaneously address WEF insecurities through mutually beneficial actions that capitalize on and promote synergetic policies.