The Food, Water and Energy Nexus: Conflicts, Ethics and Governance

Achieving global food security and providing universal access to water and energy without exceeding planetary boundaries and compromising ecosystem integrity is becoming ever more challenging. This book provides readers with a clear understanding of the trade-offs and conflicts emerging from the increasing interconnectedness of global and local food, water and energy supplies, and to introduce the major ethical debates surrounding the food, water and energy nexus.

The book explores the various values and judgements that may inform societal choices and political decision-making with a view to balancing the competing demands through appropriate governance solutions. Topics coverered include animal and livestock farming, food waste and food aid, fisheries and aquaculture, religious and secular foundations in water governance and ethics, transboundary waters, biofuels and the consequences of extraction of energy resources.

The author presents a comprehensive treatment of the ethical dilemmas which contribute to the governance of natural resources and proposes a holistic approach which makes the best of scientific and local knowledge to bring about equitable and sustainable use of food, water and energy. The book is aimed at undergraduate and postgraduate students from various disciplinary fields and will be of great value to those with little background in philosophy, ethics and political sciences. All chapters include illustrative case studies, recommendations for further reading and questions for reflection and discussion.

Andreas Neef is Professor of Resource Governance and Participatory Development at the Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Japan. He served twice as scientific advisor to the German Parliament, namely on issues of global food security and on societal and political discourses on the valorization of biodiversity and ecosystem services. He is member of the editorial boards of the journals Agriculture and Human Values, International Journal of the Commons, Law and Development Review and Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture.