The International Journal of Engineering and Science (IJES) || Volume || 7 || Issue || 1 || Pages || PP 08-24 || 2018 || ISSN (e): 2319 – 1813 ISSN (p): 2319 – 1805 DOI: 10.9790/1813-07010825 www.theijes.com Page 8 An Analysis of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus in Latin America and the Caribbean Region: Identifying Synergies And Tradeoffs through Integrated Assessment Modeling 1 Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm, 2 Raúl Muñoz-Castillo 1 Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, USA 2 Inter-American Development Bank, Washington DC, USA Corresponding author: 1 Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm -------------------------------------------------------- ABSTRACT------------------------------------------------------------- The nexus between water, energy and food (WEF) is the focus of growing concerns on the availability of vital resources derived from these intertwined systems, and how to manage the nexus resources to respond to the challenges posed by future human demands, aggravated by the perspective of climate change. This paper uses the recent Paris Climate Agreement as a WEF nexus case study, in which we assess the near-term and medium- term implications of the Paris pledges on the WEF nexus in the region of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). For this purpose, we employ the Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM), a state-of-the-art integrated assessment model of human and natural processes that captures the national-level WEF synergies and tradeoffs and allows the understanding of the key drivers of the WEF sectoral interactions and the role of climate policies such as the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) that are included in the Paris pledges. Our findings indicate that under the emissions mitigation scenario explicitly modeled to represent the Paris pledges framework, potential conflicts regarding the use of nexus resources in LAC countries may be exacerbated by the induced changes in the energy and food sectors that would impact water availability and use. Despite the differential implications of the Paris pledges across the LAC region, increased water demands for crop irrigation and electricity generation were identified as the pivotal sources of the nexus conflicts that may emerge under the climate policy NDC scenario. Hence, this study underscores the need to refine national climate policies fully-integrated within a WEF nexus resource planning framework such that a balance between the rational use of the nexus resources and stringent climate policies can be found. KEYWORDS:water, energy, food, nexus, Latin America and Caribbean. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of Submission: 14-11-2017 Date of acceptance: 05-12-2017 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The interdependency between water, energy and food is growing in importance as demand for water, energy and food (WEF) securities increases. Several regions of the world are already experiencing WEF security challenges, which adversely affect sustainable economic growth. For instance, in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region, population and income per capita continue to grow, which in turn increases demand for water, energy and food, especially in fast-growing countries. At the same time, scarcity in water, energy or food is caused not only by physical factors, but there are also political and economic issues at play that effect the allocation, availability, and use of these resources. Almost all primary energy production and electricity generation processes require significant amounts of water, and the treatment and transport of water require energy (mainly in the form of electricity); food production requires both water and energy resources. For instance, even though water use for energy generation is non- consumptive, temperature changes in return flows have impacts on aquatic ecosystems, and conflicts with other uses of water (such as food production) may arise in water scarce regions and basins due to different demand regimes. Climate change will further exacerbate problems like this, as local climate dictates spatial and temporal variations of water availability, and lead to intensified flooding and drought events. This is likely to increase competition for water across sectors, such as agriculture, the biggest consumer of water worldwide, but also energy generation, potable water supply, as well as the environment. Specifically, in the LAC region, a number of key interactions illustrate the relevance of the WEF nexus. Water is needed for food production: 90 percent of the region’s agricultural land is rain-fed. In the water-constrained Andes, there is sufficient water to produce a diet of 3,000 kcal with 20 percent animal products. But changing precipitation patterns and growing demand for food are increasing the need for irrigation. Combined with urbanization, this is increasing pressures on rural landscapes and on water supplies. Water is needed for energy