Water-Energy-Food Nexus Symposium 2026

Background

The pressures on our planet’s interconnected resource systems continue to intensify. Recent projections point to substantial growth in resource demand by 2050: global water use is expected to rise by 20% to 55%, food production by roughly 35% to 56%, and energy demand by a marked amount, all against a global population heading towards 10 billion. The exact figures depend heavily on assumptions about diets, income, technology, and climate, but the direction is unambiguous. Population growth, economic development, and climate change are accelerating competition for finite resources and reshaping land-use patterns, making Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus approaches more essential than ever for sustainable development.

About the symposium

This year’s symposium turns to the Future of the WEF Nexus, bringing together researchers from a wide range of scientific disciplines to examine where the field is heading. Nexus science is inherently interdisciplinary, and understanding the trade-offs between water, energy, and food demands methods and perspectives that no single field can provide on its own. This diversity of approaches is precisely what allows the nexus community to tackle challenges that cut across sectors, scales, and time horizons.

Programme

The symposium opens with a keynote lecture that sets the stage for the day, followed by a series of flash presentations from early-career scientists working at the frontier of nexus research. Together, these contributions showcase emerging methods, fresh data, and the new questions shaping the next generation of nexus thinking. 

Please find the agenda and further information on the event here.

Registration

You can register for the symposium via zoom here.