INTRODUCTION TO THE BREAKOUT SESSIONS ESA-FAO-GWSP Workshop on WEF Rome, Italy March 25, 2014 Richard Lawford Cat Downy, Lucie Pluschke
The Breakout Groups are a critical element in the Workshop structure and in progressing towards some recommendations. In general: Tuesday: We try to answer the questions of What and Why Wednesday: We try to answer the question of How Thursday: We try to answer the questions of Who and When
A Grand Challenge for Society: To ensure everyone in the world has sustained access to enough: - Nutritional food even though the per capita water and land for doing so is decreasing; - Clean water even though the annual amount of renewable water is relatively fixed and the demands for that water are increasing; - Energy although fossil fuel energy is becoming increasingly expensive to extract and process and the infrastructure for renewable energy in the food sector is only slowly emerging. The demands of ecosystems for land and water are only slowly being recognized while the uncertainties of climate are increasing,
Three major risks for the global economy: 1. The macroeconomic balances nexus 2. The illegal economy nexus 3. The water-food-energy nexus (2011 World Economic Forum)
Energy and food are generally managed separately each with the goal of maximizing the profit from production for a sector at the national scale. FOOD -Meet national needs. - Generate revenue through export. -Distributed ownership but many are relatively poor. ENERGY -Meet national needs. - Generate revenue through export. -Focused ownership with a few rich. Water allocations determine the amount available in a given year to each sector - Meet regional needs - Enable revenue generation by exports in other sectors - Generally subsidized and government controlled. WATER
Food Production relies upon: - The availability of suitable land - The availability of a suitable climate (P,T, SWR) - The availability of energy in suitable forms Primary managed food products include: - Crops (cereal) - Livestock - (Most recently) aquaculture
Land Issues: - not all land is suitable for agriculture as a result of: - soil type or lack of soil - Conversion from forest to agriculture - Conversion of agriculture to industrial and urban land - Land treated as a sponge to hold chemical fertilizers rather than a reservoir of natural chemicals - Irrigation generally produces more crop. Sample of land processes that amplify these issues; - Erosion by wind and water and dust and sediment loss - Salinization - Vegetation and ecological processes - Runoff processes (Formation of blue water/ nutrient transport)
Sustainable Agriculture and Land Use Breakout Group (1) Identifying data needs and uses What are the key challenges in managing the water-energy-food Nexus in regard to terrestrial ecosystems and processes? Land cover characteristics and changes Land use and changes Land access, entitlement and tenure (e.g. documenting large-scale land acquisitions) What do we need to know about these terrestrial ecosystems and processes to address these challenges? What are the data gaps and limitations in doing so.
Sustainable Agriculture and Land Use Breakout Group (2) The contributions of Earth Observations What are some of the best examples of the application of Earth observations to address Nexus issues and to provide support for decisionmakers on the water-energy-food Nexus? Expanded monitoring of agricultural land use change Development of quantitative measurements of global and regional desertification Improved agricultural risk assessment and operational weather/climate forecast systems for early warning and food security
Sustainable Agriculture and Land Use Breakout Group (3) How challenges identified in your thematic group (e.g. water, energy, land) relate to the other Nexus dimensions? Where are possible Nexus interlinkages and what can Earth Observations data contribute to the analysis of these interlinkages? To what extent are Earth observations used in decisions related to the W- E-F nexus? Are there information types and products that would expand the use of Earth observations? What steps do space agencies and research programmes need to take in order to have Earth observations used more effectively in this Nexus? Are there examples of data and information being used to encourage a more integrated approach to managing the W-E-F nexus?
Sustainable Agriculture and Land Use Breakout Group (4) How could these examples be replicated? Are there barriers which would have to be overcome to effectively implement such approaches in countries and basins around the world? Outline the specific characteristics of data requirements (space and time resolution, frequency of observations, instrument specifications, data format, means of data distribution, etc.) for the five most relevant variables related to terrestrial processes.
Water Management issues - Green Water versus Blue Water (Green Water is a terrestrial issue: Irrigation is a blue water issue) - Groundwater pumping and recharge - Development of reservoirs and the competition between users (irrigation vs hydropower vs recreation) - Water contamination (fertilizer. livestock, aquaculture) and eutrophication - The role of ecosystems in the management of water - The vulnerability of water resources to droughts and floods - Implications of the acceleration of the global water cycle - Contamination of water in energy extraction and processing - Implications of virtual water transfers.
Water Resources and Uses Breakout Group (1) Identifying data needs and uses What are some of the questions we need to answer in regard to water resources and the water-energy-food Nexus? - Keeping in mind the underlying drivers of change, how do population growth and urbanisation affect water resources and quality? What impact do our changing lifestyles and diets - and subsequent increases in livestock and fish production - have on water? - In particular, how and to what extent do fisheries and aquaculture contribute to food security - through which impact pathways? How are fisheries and aquaculture impacted by large-scale energy projects? How do they impact water quality? What data is available/ needed to illustrate the interlinkages between fisheries and aquaculture and the water-energy-food Nexus?
Water Resources and Uses Breakout Group (2) How can Earth Observation contribute to a better understanding of the different uses of water (including inland fisheries and aquaculture) and their impacts on the natural environment? What are the main water-related issues and how do they need to be addressed differently when considered by local land or pond area, by basin, by nation and globally? What are the science and data limitations in addressing these needs at the different scales?
Water Resources and Uses Breakout Group (3) The contribution of Earth Observation What are some of the best examples of the application of Earth observations to address Nexus issues and to provide support for decision-makers on the water-energy-food Nexus? How do the challenges identified in your thematic group (e.g. water) relate to the other Nexus dimensions? Where are possible Nexus interlinkages and what can Earth Observations data contribute to the analysis of these interlinkages?
Water Resources and Uses Breakout Group (4) - To what extent are Earth observations used in water management decisions related to the water-energy-food nexus? Are there information types and products that would expand the use of Earth observations? What steps do space agencies and research programmes need to take in order to have Earth observations used more effectively in this Nexus? - Are there examples of current uses of Earth Observation data and information to encourage a more integrated approach to managing the water-energy-food nexus? How could these examples be replicated? Are there barriers which would have to be overcome to effectively implement such approaches in countries and basins around the world? - Outline the specific characteristics of data requirements (space and time resolution, frequency of observations, instrument specifications, data format, means of data distribution, etc.) for the five most relevant variables related to water management and aquaculture.
Climate and Energy Climate is a critical constraint on food production: - Food production depends on the availability of Rain and thermal units. - The changing climate is expected to have a significant effect on food production, especially in water-short basins. Approx. thirty percent of global energy is used for agriculture. The vast majority of this energy is from fossil fuels. Bioenergy is still being developed in a number of countries.
Energy Production Renewable/ Fossil Fuels Energy Demand Fossil Fuels - Renewables Carbon Dioxide Emissions Climate Change
Energy and Climate Breakout Group (1) Identifying data needs and uses What are some of the questions we would like to answer in regard to energy resources, the climate and the water-energy-food Nexus? In particular, what is the profile of energy use and supply in agriculture in the i) developed and ii) developing world? What are the critical policy decisions that affect energy use in agriculture? What data is needed to inform decision-makers about different Nexus tradeoffs, e.g. biomass potential vs. food production? How can the impact of climate change on the water-energy-food Nexus be represented by Earth Observation data (e.g. terrestrial carbon sources and sinks)? What are data needs and requirements for specific energy data sets (e.g. geophysical, geological, biological, weather, climatologic, pollutant and greenhouse gases as well as socio-economic data)?
Energy and Climate Breakout Group (2) The contributions of Earth Observations What are some of the best examples of the application of Earth observations to address Nexus issues and to provide support for decision-makers on the water-energy-food Nexus? How challenges identified in your thematic group (e.g. water, energy, land) relate to the other Nexus dimensions? Where are possible Nexus interlinkages and what can Earth Observations data contribute to the analysis of these interlinkages? To what extent are Earth observations used in energy management decisions related to the W-E-F nexus? Are there information types and products that would expand the use of Earth observations?
Energy and Climate Breakout Group (3) What steps do space agencies and research programmes need to take in order to have Earth observations used more effectively in this Nexus? Are there examples of the use of data and information being used to encourage a more integrated approach to managing the W-E-F nexus? How could these examples be replicated? Are there barriers which would have to be overcome to effectively implement such approaches in countries and basins around the world? Outline the specific characteristics of data requirements (space and time resolution, frequency of observations, instrument specifications, data format, means of data distribution, etc.) for the five most relevant variables related to climate and energy.
Day 2, Session 1: Data Access and Services (1): 1. Are the issues or regions where more use could be made of satellite data in supporting WEF decisions? If so, please describe these needs. What could be done to increase the use of Earth Observations in these areas? 2. Many applications of data to WEF issues involve different regions and nations. What steps should be taken to ensure that each country has access to the same high quality data for supporting its decision making? 3. Mapping plays a key role in the development of planning information. In order to improve the mapping function more information is needed about the requirements. Which variables need to be mapped on an annual or longer time frame for planning purposes (and at what resolution are they needed)? Which variables need to be mapped at shorter time scales (daily, weekly) in order to support operations? What new mapping products and tools need to be developed?
Day 2, Session 1: Data Access and Services (2): 4. Looking five years into the future, what types of information systems (e.g. social media) will fulfill the needs of producers and managers for comprehensive real-time information? 5. What is the most useful way to provide information to WEF users indices, maps, GIS files, data points, etc.) Please discuss the pros and cons of each product type. 6. Clearly the use of Earth observations in decision support tools can only happen when users have access to the necessary data inputs. These tools will give the best results when they rely on the best integrated products combining satellite and in-situ data, and possibly model outputs. What is the current status of such products for different variables? What needs to be done to improve the availability and accessibility of these integrated products? What should be the priorities for the development of new integrated products?
Day 2, Session 1: Data Access and Services (3): 7. Scale interactions play a major role in the management of WEF issues. Frequently the capability to provide information at higher resolution (temporal and spatial) increases as the domain of study decreases. Suggest some design criteria (or even suggest a design) for a system that can fully exploit data from multi-scale observational systems including global, regional and national scale systems to address WEF information requirement.
Day 2, Session 2: Scenarios, Models and Decision-making tools (1): 1. What trends are likely to impact the WEF nexus over the next 25 years? To what extent do these trends increase the risks for the economic performance of the WEF Nexus? Given these trends, how useful are Earth observations be used in characterizing present and future risks in the system? 2. In general the observational community views model outputs as inferior to observational products (e.g., not adequate for use in validation, not adequate for use in detecting trends). What is the real status of model estimates and projections? Are there areas where models could replace observations? (Please list them).
Day 2, Session 2: Scenarios, Models and Decision-making tools (2): 3. Clearly the use of Earth observations in decision support tools can only happen when users have access to the necessary data inputs. These tools will give the best results when they rely on the best integrated products combining satellite and in-situ data, and possibly model outputs. What is the current status of such products for different variables? What should be the priorities for the development of new integrated products? Are the long term scenarios for planning water, energy and food systems for the next 25 years adequate? If not, what is lacking? (in terms of scenario types, trends impacting the WEF nexus, etc.)
Day 2, Session 2: Scenarios, Models and Decision-making tools (3): 5. In some areas and for some variables, models have successfully been used to provide estimates where no observations are available or not technologically possible. Are there WEF issues that could be more effectively addressed with more model development? What steps should be taken to improve these models? What data are needed to support these model developments? 6. In terms of the interactions between the water, energy and food domains some interactions are well defined but others are not. Briefly describe the interactions that are well defined in your view and outline those where more information is needed to improve the knowledge about the more poorly understood interactions. 7. Are the computer and communications capabilities sufficient to address the modelling needs emerging in the food energy and water sectors? If not, identify those areas where more capability is needed.
Day 2, Session 2: Scenarios, Models and Decision-making tools (4): 8. Scale interactions play a major role in the management of WEF issues. Frequently the capability to provide information at higher resolution (temporal and spatial) increases as the domain of study decreases. Suggest some design criteria (or even suggest a design) for a system that can fully exploit data from multi-scale observational systems including global, regional and national scale systems to address WEF information requirement.
Choosing Breakout Groups