What is The Climate Water Nexus?

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What is The Climate Water Nexus?

The climate-water nexus is a perspective used to understand the connection and intersectionality between, well, climate and water. “Nexus” is just a fancy, scientific way to describe interconnected relationships! Water and the climate are interdependent, and the climate crisis will only increase demand to recognize the fact. The hope of addressing the combination of these concepts is to bring forth solutions that hold positive, holistic impacts on all these ideas. 

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To get a grasp on this, it is helpful to understand how climate affects water. One of the most glaring examples of this is the rising sea levels caused by polar ice caps melting, which the IPCC has further confirmed in their latest report. Additionally, with warming winters, precipitation has increased by 14% in the Great Lakes region, and the number of heavy rainfall went up by 35% over the past 6 decades. Talk about a downpour of bad news! More floods also mean more droughts in this crisis - California has found itself in its 8th significant drought period since 2007, largely due to faster evaporation from rising temperatures. 

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Is The Climate Water Nexus “good”?

Yes! It introduces the idea that water and climate are interconnected. By adopting this mindset, the door to understanding that one idea can directly impact another is opened, leading to a greater awareness of the effects that climate change has on the abundance of water at a local stream, for example. Recognizing that these elements are interdependable leads to more conscious, sustainable decision-making (think trade-offs, better alternatives, etc). 

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What kind of things are associated with The Climate Water Nexus?

Virtually anything that involves water and climate can be linked back to this nexus - it’s as simple as it sounds! After all, its entire idea is to spread awareness about the interconnectedness of such concepts.

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Still want to learn more? Check out some of our favorite references:

Understanding the Climate Water Nexus

The Water-Energy Nexus

The Energy Climate Water Nexus: A Global Sustainability Impact Assessment

Climate-Land-Water-Energy Nexus Models Across Scales

The Water Energy Climate Nexus

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