Presentation by Kala Vairavamoorthy, Patel School of Global Sustainability, University of South Florida

The “nexus” of food, water and energy represents one of the biggest challenges in urban areas. If supplies of these three key resources are not maintained over time to serve human societies as well as the natural ecosystems from which they derive, the basis for all life will be undermined, and cities will not be functional any more.

Collecting inputs for the Bonn2011 Nexus Conference preparatory process

The question of how to effectively use our water resources has been debated for decades, yet what we need more than ever is direct action at the field level.

A message from Felix Dodds, Executive Director of the Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future and International Steering Committee (ISC) Member

Management of water resources needs “substantial improvement and actual reform in many countries,” and an integrated management is significant for “the most valuable natural resources,” Olcay Unver from the UNESCO’s water assessment program told Xinhua. “There has been some improvement over the the past decade or so, but we would very much like to see this expedited mostly by national government,” the director of UENSCO Program Office for Global Water Assessment said in a recent interview.

Do we really understand - or think sufficiently about - the “Energy-Water-Food Nexus”? That was the concern shared during a searching Singapore Energy Summit plenary session on Monday.

No resource is more fundamental than water to the health and security of people and the environment. Yet the alarm bells are ringing as this finite, yet essential, natural resource comes under increasing pressure from growing demand, poor management and climate change creating a growing global water challenge. With Rio+20 on the immediate horizon, and a focus on water, energy and food, water will be an issue that world and business leaders are likely to find absorbed into their agendas - and rightly so. Water scarcity and stress is not only an issue of protecting ecosystem and biodiversity, but is also presents a real and present risk to local communities, business and world economies.

Recommendations by CARE International for Rio+20 – According to the CARE report launched today entitled “One Planet - One Future: Equity and resilience for sustainable development”, climate change, food insecurity and unequal distribution of rights are pressing burdens mainly shouldered by the poorest people. They are increasingly affected by more severe disasters such as floods or droughts and they have limited safety nets to rely on in times of hardship. Among the most vulnerable people are women and girls, who are often responsible for providing food and water to their families, yet may have no rights to own land or participate in decisions that affect their lives. “Only by tackling climate change, food insecurity and gender inequality we can build resilience of local communities and deliver equity and social justice for poor women and men,” says Vaughan.

One of the themes of Rio+20 is ‘green growth’. The first and most obvious question will be ‘Can there be such a thing as green growth?’ and for me the answer is an emphatic ‘Yes’ - as long as there is a paradigm shift in the way that governments, the private sector and consumers think about resources.