Research // Global Risks and Opportunities in Food, Energy, Environment and Water to 2050

By R. Quentin Grafton. In this article the author reflects on where the world was in 1968, where it is heading in the context of the Food, Energy, Water and Environment Nexus, and how researchers should respond. What is required is better decision making that focuses on risks and opportunities and at multiple scales and contexts. This requires a paradigm shift in how decisions are made, what information is gathered and how it is used. It also demands a ‘Nexus’ approach to responding to systemic risks, encompassing multiple disciplines and meaningful partnerships between researchers, decision makers and those who implement the decisions.