A nexus modeling framework for assessing water scarcity solutions

Water scarcity has become a crucial environmental issue worldwide. It has increased substantially in the last decades in many parts of the world, and it is expected to further exacerbate in the future driven by socio-economic and climatic changes. Several solution options could be implemented to address this growing water scarcity, including supply and demand-side management options that span the water, energy, and agricultural sectors. However, these options involve tradeoffs among various societal objectives, especially when the interactions between these objectives are not properly considered. This paper provides a review of the impending water scarcity challenges and suggests assessing water scarcity solution options using a nexus modeling framework that links well-established sectoral-oriented models.