Integrating Social Equity into the Food, Energy, Water Systems Nexus
Abstract
The growing demand on food-energy-water systems (FEWS) under a changing climate can increase social vulnerabilities and inequities. In the United States, FEWS and their corresponding effects on social outcomes vary drastically across locales and spatial scales. To better understand social equity in the context of the FEWS nexus, a spatial index was developed using data about the affordability, accessibility, and quality of resources available to households in the US. The FEWS equity index is useful for identifying trends and investigating factors influencing equity outcomes. Furthermore, the index provides a starting point to assess the relationship between FEWS and common social vulnerability indicators including race, socioeconomic status, age, and gender. Results from the assessments can directly inform FEWS management, such as food system planning, efforts to balance tradeoffs in the energy sector under climate scenarios, and water governance related to supply, pricing, and infrastructure. Decision-makers at the national, state, and local scales can utilize the index to allocate resources more equitably and evaluate policy interventions. Ultimately, the index provides a means to identify and measure inequities within the FEWS nexus and serves as a basis for mitigating social vulnerabilities related to increasing resource demand.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2022
- Bibcode:
- 2022AGUFM.H42L1440D