Unpacking the WEF Nexus Index: A Regional and Sub-Regional Analysis of Northern Canada

Shawn Ingram, Ana-Maria Bogdan, Tayyab Shah, Xiaojing Lu, Meng Li, Michaela Sidloski and David Natcher
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Shawn Ingram: Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Saskatchewan, 51 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada
Ana-Maria Bogdan: Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research, University of Saskatchewan, 9 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A5, Canada
Tayyab Shah: Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research, University of Saskatchewan, 9 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A5, Canada
Xiaojing Lu: Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research, University of Saskatchewan, 9 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A5, Canada
Meng Li: Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research, University of Saskatchewan, 9 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A5, Canada
Michaela Sidloski: Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research, University of Saskatchewan, 9 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A5, Canada
David Natcher: Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Saskatchewan, 51 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 23, 1-11

Abstract: The water–energy–food (WEF) nexus has emerged as a leading tool for assessing integrated resource management strategies and for monitoring progress towards the WEF-related Sustainable Development Goals. A notable outcome of WEF nexus research has been the calculation of the global WEF Nexus Index, which provides a quantitative ranking of country-level WEF security for 170 nations. As valuable as this ranking is, the aggregation of country-level WEF data obscures regional differences, particularly in remote regions that are sparsely populated and differ in geography, economy, and climate. This has proven to be the case for northern Canada, which despite representing 40% of Canada’s total land area, accounts for less than 1% of the Canadian population, most of whom are Indigenous. Whereas Canada ranks 5th globally in their WEF security, northern Canada, if treated independently, would rank 67th on the global WEF Nexus Index rankings. Evaluating each WEF sector independently, northern Canada would rank 22nd in water security, 90th in energy security, and 113th in food security. Our results further reveal that considerable inter-regional variability exists between northern territories and provinces, where Nunavik would rank 54th, Northwest Territories 67th, Yukon 69th, Labrador 80th, and Nunavut 107th on the global index. By highlighting these differences, we hope that this research can aid decision-makers in developing informed, regionally specific, and integrative resource policy responses that remedy rather than amplify existing WEF-related inequalities.

Keywords: WEF nexus; northern Canada; arctic; Sustainable Development Goals; water security; energy security; food security (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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