A new, three-volume book series, ‘The Water, Energy, and Food Security Nexus in Asia and the Pacific’ was launched at an event at UNESCO House in New Delhi on Monday 27th March 2023.

Published by Springer Nature and UNESCO, the open-access series introduces the complex links between water, energy, and food security in the three sub-regions of Central and South Asia, East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Each volume explores some future scenarios and recommends approaches to best deal with future challenges.

As the Editor-in-Chief of the Pacific volume led by GWI, UNSW Humanitarian Engineering Senior Lecturer and Academic Lead Dr Andrew Dansie was part of a seven-person panel at the New Delhi event.

The impacts of climate change on the water-energy-food nexus in Asia and the Pacific were discussed by authors and experts, including:

  • Dr. Eunhee Lee, Senior Research Scientist at the Groundwater Department, Geologic Environment Division, of the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM)
  • Prof. Zafar Adeel, Executive Director of the Pacific Water Research Centre at the Simon Fraser University, Canada
  • Dr. Victor Shinde, Head, Climate Centre for Cities, National Institute of Urban Affairs, New Delhi
  • Mr. Jyotiraj Patra, Climate Change and Adaptation Specialist, Green Climate Fund Coastal Project, UNDP, New Delhi
  • Dr. Ram Boojh, CEO, Mobius Foundation
  • Mr. Manjul Panwar, Ph.D. Research Scholar, School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Dr Dansie said, “It was a pleasure to be joined by such a prestigious panel for the launch of ‘The Water, Energy, and Food Security Nexus in the Asia Pacific’ at the UNESCO New Delhi Cluster Office. The panel stressed the importance of managing water resources for the benefit of people and the environment, and the critical role a nexus approach brings to attaining SDG targets and securing a sustainable future.”

Following the panel discussion, official book launch and questions from the audience, a video was played on the UN World Water Development Report—launched earlier that week on World Water Day (Monday 22 March). The 2023 Report on Partnerships and Cooperation assesses the nature and role of partnerships and cooperation among stakeholders in water resources management and development and their role in accelerating progress towards water goals and targets.

All three volumes are now available to everyone via open access (free and unlimited) on the Springer website.

A video of the panel discussion is now available on the UNESCO New Delhi YouTube channel.