Research Article // Challenges to Iraq’s Environment: Applying the Water-Energy-Food Nexus Framework
By Bassam Yousif and colleagues. This paper utilises research on Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus to study the relationships between Iraq’s water (requirement and supply), energy (the oil and gas sector), and food production by surveying environmental conditions and using various data sources. Based on the research, the paper then offers policy recommendations.
Figure 4: The Pardee RAND Food-Energy-Water Index and Sub-indices for Iraq (Source: Pardee RAND Food-Energy-Water (2016).
Abstract
This paper utilizes research on Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus to study the relationships between Iraq’s water (requirement and supply), energy (the oil and gas sector), and food production. We survey environmental conditions and note that the quality and availability of water have declined over the last decades, which have posed threats to public health, environmental sustainability, and food security. We next use a variety of data sources to study the interlinkages between these three sectors, including water-energy-food indexes, and explore the state of the agriculture and oil sectors. We point out that water is a key input into both agricultural production and oil extraction, mediating the energy and food sectors and acting to constrain and make rival food and energy outputs. We offer policy recommendations classified into those that seek to overcome internal barriers and others geared towards external constraints.
Published
August 2022
By
Economic Research Forum - Working Paper Series
Citation
Bassam Yousif & Omar El-Joumayle & Jehan Baban, 2022. "Challenges to Iraq’s Environment: Applying the Water-Energy-Food Nexus Framework," Working Papers 1564, Economic Research Forum, revised 20 Aug 2022.
Download
Challenges to Iraq’s Environment: Applying the Water-Energy-Food Nexus Framework
Related Resources
- Report // The Water-Energy-Food Nexus in Libya, UAE, Egypt and Iraq
- Research article //The water-energy-food nexus: A holistic approach for resource security in Iran, Iraq, and Turkey
- Research Article // A Nexus Approach for the MENA Region—From Concept to Knowledge to Action
- Research Article // SD-DSS model of sustainable groundwater resources management using the water-food-energy security Nexus in Alborz Province