The Water, Energy, Food and Environment (WEFE) Nexus in Jordan governance: Building resilience and securing WEF in the present and the long run

Jordan suffers from extreme scarcity of water, primary energy resources, and arable lands. The country is among the most water-scarce countries in the world and is highly dependent on imported food and fossil fuels. Climate change and growing demands for natural resources associated to rapid population growth and urbanization accentuate the situation and intensify exploitation. Consequently, the prices of essential services provided to the population, such as water and electricity, increase concomitantly, with the former augmenting by 158% from 2010 to 2020.

This situation threatens environmental resilience and increases economic vulnerability, with harmful socio-economic effects. Agriculture figures as the largest water consumer in the country, and consequently the water scarcity contributes to increasing food insecurity. Likewise, energy costs account for around 47% of total operation and maintenance costs in the water sector, which tend to raise to meet the expanding water supply. To meet the challenges facing in water, energy, and food sectors, it becomes imperative to increase the share of renewable energy, for which Jordan has a large and still unexplored potential.