16 May 2014
Research Funding // EU's Horizon 2020 programme includes nexus topics
"Integrated approaches to food security, low-carbon energy, sustainable water management and climate change mitigation" is one of the topics of Horizon 2020, the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme ever with nearly 80 billion Euros of funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020) - in addition to the private investment that this money will attract. Submission of proposals is open until 10 Mar 2015.
Expected is an increased understanding of how water management, food and biodiversity policies are linked together and to climate and sustainability goals; a reduction of the uncertainties about the opportunities and limitations of low-carbon options, such as bioenergy technologies and resource efficiency measures, in view of relevant near-term policy initiatives; and a contribution to future assessments, including those of the IPCC, with multidisciplinary and integrated tools.
The rising demands of a growing world population for food, water, materials and energy will put increasing pressures on land use, water resources and ecosystems. Increased energy use leads to increased demands for cooling water for thermal power plants. Climate mitigation options such as biomass production for energy (biofuels) might also lead to increased land and water demands. Increased food and feed demand will put increasing pressures on land (e.g. deforestation leading to more greenhouse gas emission) and water resources. Such pressures will be compounded by the impacts of climate change which are likely to further modify the availability and suitability of these resources as well as affect agricultural productivity.
Tools to help explore options for low-carbon pathways, such as climate-energy models, currently lack a comprehensive integration of land-use and water systems, leading to an incomplete picture of the interactions between competing demands and the future viability and costs of adaptation and mitigation options as well as the environmental protection and agricultural challenges.
Despite considerable progress over the past ten years, the forecasting of natural water cycle variability and extreme weather events in the short and medium term still suffers from severe limitations. Improved understanding of the impacts of climate change on the hydrological cycle is necessary in order to better inform decision makers and ensure sustainable water supply and management of water systems, and quality of water bodies, in the EU.