An Input-Output Analysis of Water-Energy-Food Nexus in The Yangtze River Delta Region

Abstract:

As a major economic engine in China, the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) has high population density, high level of urbanization and rapid economic growth, which lead to increasingly high demand for water, energy and food resources. As a result, the YRD is exposed to considerable risks of water, energy, or food insecurity. To analyze the current situation and identify challenges to maintain resource sustainability, we build an input-output (IO) model for the YRD which represents interdependencies of the sectors including but not limited to water, energy and food. The IO model is linked to process-driven sector models that provide additional details of spatiotemporal dynamics within each sector.