How can the multiple and sometimes competing demands we make from our land, such as expansion of housing or increased production of low-carbon bioenergy, be managed both now and into the future, as population grows and climate variability increases?
These questions are addressed in the Nexus Network thinkpiece on ‘The nexus in a changing climate: a critique of competing demands for UK land‘ from Maria Sharmina, Claire Hoolohan, Alice Bows-Larkin, Paul Gilbert and Kevin Anderson from the University of Manchester, Paul Burgess and Jerry Knox from Cranfield University, James Colwill from Loughborough University and David Howard from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.
Download the thinkpiece here Sharmina et al 2015
Outline
The thinkpiece explored interdependencies at the energy/food/water nexus and questioned how these are currently addressed within policy.
The paper starts by highlighting the range of land uses and goes on to analyse some of the key policies currently playing a role in influencing UK land use. It then questions how current land uses and their related policies affect the UK’s resilience in the medium to long term (e.g. out to 2050) against the backdrop of ongoing and future climatic changes, the drive to deliver deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and changing demand for resources.
Conclusions
The thinkpiece authors conclude there are many metrics, models and tools designed to quantify the capacity of land required for particular outcomes. But such tools can have serious limitations, such as relying mostly on macro-economic factors, shrinking the nexus, and excluding qualitative information.
A tradition of disjointed management often leaves energy, food and water in competition, with policies and tools ill-equipped to provide appropriate and sustainable solutions.
Guide for further research and policy
The authors suggest a number of series questions to guide further research and policy in the nexus:
- What are the additional policy challenges for land use posed by climate change, given the already complex policy environment?
- What are the socio-economic and environmental trade-offs between meeting bioenergy targets, increasing food production and complying with environmental regulations or aspirations?
- Where are the main vulnerabilities of the UK’s land system, given current trends and policies?
- Does the current and anticipated future use of land match the intended outcomes of the policies?
- What further research is needed to assess the resilience of different blends of nexus components?
- How can academics assist policymakers through the provision of dynamic, flexible and practical decision support tools both in the near and longer term?
- How can policymakers be encouraged to factor in the various interdependencies of the nexus and who would have the authority/remit to oversee this?
- What underpins the design and implementation of an overarching longer-term vision for UK land use, taking into account both spatial and temporal interdependencies?
Read the full thinkpiece here Sharmina et al 2015
Image credit: With thanks to Alex Pepperhill on flickr.
