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The Energy-Water Nexus: Where Climate Adaptation and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Policies Collide
by Kristen Averyt, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences and Western Water Assessment
Abstract: Averaged across the US, water withdrawals by the energy industry are approximately the same as for agriculture. Conversely, moving, pumping and cleaning water requires a significant quantity of energy. The nexus between energy and water elicits conflicts and opportunities between supply and demand regimes that may be significantly altered by climate change. The average lifetime of a power plant is beyond 30 years. With almost 40GW of capacity generated by coal-fired power plants to be retired across the US by 2015, decisions made today regarding electricity futures will have long-term implications for water resources, carbon emissions, and the long-term impacts associated with climate change. This presentation will describe the energy-water nexus in the context of challenges posed by shifting water resources and policies related to carbon management policies.
