75 multi dimensional, cross sectoral connections among water, land, energy, and climate changes Hence, the research model is not applicable in assessing policy implications or in wide scale analyses w[.]
75 multi-dimensional, cross-sectoral connections among water, land, energy, and climate changes Hence, the research model is not applicable in assessing policy implications or in wide-scale analyses with a long-term perspective Foran (2015) provides an interdisciplinary analysis of the water–energy–food nexus in the Mekong region, in which nexus research approaches are limited that include integrated assessment or complex systems methodologies Despite the 2008 global economic crisis, the Mekong region’s economy has grown steadily, and its population has rapidly increased with its increasing standards of living and incomes Consequently, the environment has also substantially degraded, which has exerted pressure on natural resources, as these populations demand significant amounts of energy, food, and water This study addresses this situation by selecting the most comprehensive policy for all three resources in the Mekong region Its primary finding is derived from an interdisciplinary analysis of the Mekong resource nexus and the Mekong Region Discovery Project, with six development initiatives at the regional level: building 12 hydropower dams, transferring water from Laos’ PDR to north-eastern Thailand, adapting to rising sea levels in the Cuu Long River delta, and expanding rubber and aluminium production as well as bauxite mining Additionally, the research demonstrates that three nodes in the system—energy demand, fish stocks and land use, and irrigation—play an important role in sustainable management The methods applied in this research include the household survey, agent-based model, and expert panel, the latter of which include Delphi and policy analyses This interdisciplinary research approach can help policymakers in the Mekong region recognise the importance of political and social regimes in sustainable management Further, the nexus should be managed with integrated tools, although this study provides neither estimates for water–energy–food nexus nor future impact calculations 3.2 Major limitations of existing studies Various concepts involving the energy–food–water nexus have evolved, as noted in Section 3.1, and these vary in their scope, objectives, and analytical tools and methods Depending on the objectives and scope of various studies reviewed, it can be summarised that several analytical tools and methods have been developed to analyse energy–food– water linkages and assess their impacts—and especially their technological changes—on various aspects, such as energy–food–water security, socio-economic progress, and environmental aspects (ADB, 2013), or analyse policy implications in a particular sector