Water-Energy Nexus Challenges & Opportunities in the United Arab Emirates Under Climate Change

4 Pages Posted: 8 Nov 2017

See all articles by Ammar Abulibdeh

Ammar Abulibdeh

United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) - Department of Geography and Urban Planning

Date Written: July 30, 2017

Abstract

The “Water-Energy Nexus” is a concept that identifies the numerous interconnected aspects between water and energy and considers these in planning and policymaking. The use of water covers all stages of the fuel cycle, from extraction of energy resources such as oil and natural gas, to energy production and electricity generation. Energy is needed for extraction, conveying, purification, and transfer of the water to different forms of consumers in the economy. In addition, the water is used in the treatment of industrial and municipal wastewater. Major development initiatives, fluctuating demographics and more dependency on desalination have currently attracted attention to the links between water and energy use, and the fuels and infrastructure incorporated in their production.

The use of a water-energy nexus method is a highly relevant and specific planning framework for countries in the Gulf region. The framework of the “water-energy nexus” perceives water as a portion of a combined water and energy system, rather than as an independent resource. Until recently, energy and water have been viewed as isolated planning challenges separate from each other. Any connections between water and energy have usually been considered on a case-by-case basis. In the UAE, the management of water resources has been noted as an emerging challenge of high significance to sustainable development in the long-term. At the national scale, domestic, agricultural, and industrial usage of water have grown at yearly rates approximately steady with the population growth rate, hinting that little conservation or efficiency improvement is taking place. However, the UAE depends on desalinated water to keep up with the increasing share of water supply. The amount of energy required for desalination is an order of magnitude higher than the energy needed for either pumping of groundwater or moving water from surface rivers or reservoirs. Thus, energy and water are connected to significantly higher extent in the UAE compared to other countries where the climatic conditions aid in higher annual rainfall and water resources are more abundant. Looking into the future, individual municipalities are projected to grow the capacity of their desalination plants to meet the needs of the increasing population and development in the economy, hinting that dependency on the desalination process is equally an energy and water challenge.

In a situation where there is scarcity of water, supply of fossil fuel-derived energy is abundant, demands for both are high, and issues surrounding climate change are increasing, coupled with the continuous growth in population, links between water and energy can potentially reveal opportunities for enhancements in efficiency or tradeoffs of mutual benefit. Despite the analysis within this paper examining both a demand oriented scenario (High Efficiency) and a supply oriented scenario (Natural Resource Protection), the findings of the analysis firmly propose that the region, specifically the UAE will need to employ demand and supply side policies in a simultaneous manner to accomplish increased sustainable uses of energy and water over the course of the next half century (the Integrated Policy scenario).

Keywords: Climate Change, Water Security, Energy, Nexus, Development, UAE

Suggested Citation

Abulibdeh, Ammar, Water-Energy Nexus Challenges & Opportunities in the United Arab Emirates Under Climate Change (July 30, 2017). OIDA International Journal of Sustainable Development, Vol. 10, No. 07, pp. 23-26, 2017, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3066141

Ammar Abulibdeh (Contact Author)

United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) - Department of Geography and Urban Planning ( email )

P.O. Box 15551
Al-Ain
United Arab Emirates

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