Rethinking Nexus: Water Energy and Food Security The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) warning that water demand would outstrip energy demands two-fold highlighted the scale of water-energy nexus. But the reality is more complex. Critically, a global population expansion to 9 billion people by 2050, coupled with increased economic growth, will intensify competition for water, as well as increasing the need for food and energy, creating a trilemma for 21st century society to resolve. Traditional water-energy nexus thinking highlights the mutual importance of water and conventional energy. Energy is fundamental to collect, transport, distribute and treat water. Water is essential to extract process and refine fossil fuels. The onset of climate change further exacerbates the interconnectivity of the energy-water nexus. A global water gap of 40 per cent between demand and accessible water by 2030 and that water consumption is set to rise from 4,500 billion cubic metres to 6,900 billion cubic metres with no change to business as usual practices and policies, such as improved ‘crop per drop’ irrigation and rain-fed measures. Agriculture accounts for 71 per cent of current total global water withdrawals. A 50 per cent population increase will exponentially increase agricultural output, requiring more water and energy through fertilizers, harvesting and processing. India could double water consumption through to 2030 to 1.5 trillion cubic metres, leaving the country with a 50 per cent water gap. Anticipating any substantially positive impact of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in developing plants that combine higher energy content with reduced water consumption is difficult. Read full study in the attachment