Do you know the nexus well enough?

Did you know that :

• Nearly half of all water withdrawals - both freshwater and ocean water - in the US are used for cooling at thermoelectric power plants.
• Water-related energy use in California consumes approximately 20 percent of the state's electricity.
• 25 percent of all freshwater consumed in the US is associated with discarded food; about as much as the volume of Lake Erie.
• In 2010 nearly 40 percent of US corn was converted into ethanol.

"Food, water and energy systems are inextricably linked, and as recent events like droughts, oil spills and increasing food prices make clear, the United States can no longer view these systems in isolation. A paper from the GRACE Communications Foundation explains that when the Food, Water and Energy Nexus becomes unbalanced, there are clear consequences for public health, the economy and the environment. The paper describes how and where these systems intersect, how they rely upon each other to function and how they can have a significant impact on each other.

While the paper provides examples of individuals, businesses and local governments already benefiting from a "nexus approach," the US government has largely ignored the nexus, as indicated by legislation and policies that rarely account for interconnections in any combination among food, water or energy. In areas such as hydraulic fracturing, the farm billand energy subsidies, it is clear that the nation is not effectively monitoring the condition or coordinating the management of food, water and energy systems."

Read">http://www.gracelinks.org/media/pdf/nexus_final_final.pdf">Read the report @ http://www.gracelinks.org/media/pdf/nexus_final_final.pdf