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The U.S. food–energy–water system: A blueprint to fill the mesoscale gap for science and decision-making

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Abstract

Food, energy, and water (FEW) are interdependent and must be examined as a coupled natural–human system. This perspective essay defines FEW systems and outlines key findings about them as a blueprint for future models to satisfy six key objectives. The first three focus on linking the FEW production and consumption to impacts on Earth cycles in a spatially specific manner in order to diagnose problems and identify potential solutions. The second three focus on describing the evolution of FEW systems to identify risks, thus empowering the FEW actors to better achieve the goals of resilience and sustainability. Four key findings about the FEW systems that guide future model development are (1) that they engage ecological, carbon, water, and nutrient cycles most powerfully among all human systems; (2) that they operate primarily at a mesoscale best captured by counties, districts, and cities; (3) that cities are hubs within the FEW system; and (4) that the FEW system forms a complex network.

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Reproduced with permission from Rushforth and Ruddell (2016)

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Reproduced with permission from a Lin et al. (2014), b Dang et al. (2014)

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Acknowledgements

This article is based upon research supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1639529. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation (NSF).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environment and Society, Quinney College of Natural Resources, Utah State University, 5215 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT, 84322-5215, USA

    Christopher Lant & Jacopo Baggio

  2. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois, 2525 Hydrosystems Laboratory, 205 N Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL, 61821, USA

    Megan Konar

  3. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, 215B Sackett Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    Alfonso Mejia

  4. Faculty of the School of Informatics and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, 1295 S. Knoles Dr., Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA

    Benjamin Ruddell

  5. School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, PO Box 5693, Building 90, Room 222, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA

    Richard Rushforth

  6. School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, PO Box 874501, Tempe, AZ, 85287-4501, USA

    John L. Sabo

  7. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Lehigh University, STEPS 9A, 1 W. Packer Ave, Bethlehem, PA, 18015, USA

    Tara J. Troy

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Correspondence to Christopher Lant.

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Lant, C., Baggio, J., Konar, M. et al. The U.S. food–energy–water system: A blueprint to fill the mesoscale gap for science and decision-making. Ambio 48, 251–263 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-018-1077-0

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