DataSheet1_Emerging Themes and Future Directions of Multi-Sector Nexus Research and Implementation.pdf

Water, energy, and food are all essential components of human societies. Collectively, their respective resource systems are interconnected in what is called the “nexus”. There is growing consensus that a holistic understanding of the interdependencies and trade-offs between these sectors and other related systems is critical to solving many of the global challenges they present. While nexus research has grown exponentially since 2011, there is no unified, overarching approach, and the implementation of concepts remains hampered by the lack of clear case studies. Here, we present the results of a collaborative thought exercise involving 75 scientists and summarize them into 10 key recommendations covering: the most critical nexus issues of today, emerging themes, and where future efforts should be directed. We conclude that a nexus community of practice to promote open communication among researchers, to maintain and share standardized datasets, and to develop applied case studies will facilitate transparent comparisons of models and encourage the adoption of nexus approaches in practice.

水、能源与粮食均为人类社会不可或缺的核心组成部分。三者各自的资源系统相互交织关联，此即学界所称的“水-能源-粮食纽带关系（nexus）”。目前学界已形成日益广泛的共识：全面理解这些领域与其他相关系统间的相互依存关系及权衡取舍，是解决它们所引发的诸多全球挑战的关键所在。尽管自2011年以来，纽带关系领域的研究呈指数级增长，但目前尚未形成统一且统领性的研究框架，且相关概念的落地实践仍因缺乏清晰的案例研究而受阻。本研究呈现了一项由75位科学家参与的协作式研讨成果，并将其归纳为10项核心建议，涵盖当下最关键的纽带关系议题、新兴研究方向，以及未来研究的着力领域。我们最终提出：建立纽带关系实践共同体，以促进研究者间的开放交流、维护并共享标准化数据集，以及开发应用案例研究，将有助于实现模型的透明化对比，并推动纽带关系研究方法在实际中的应用。