Water and Energy nexus: findings of the World Water Development Report 2014

Abstract. The post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are likely to include increased access to water and energy services. The fifth edition of the United Nations World Water Development Report (WWDR) Water and Energy aims to contribute to the this international process by informing the decision-making about the interlinkages, potential synergies and trade-offs as well as by stressing the need for appropriate responses and regulatory frameworks that account for both water and energy priorities. The Report provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the impacts of ever-increasing energy production on water resources and water users, including agriculture, rapidly expanding cities, expanding industry and the environment. It analyses major and emerging trends from around the world, with examples of how some of the trend-related challenges have been addressed, their implications for policy-makers, and further actions that can be taken by stakeholders and the international community. As the first of a new series of theme-oriented reports to be released on an annual basis, the WWDR 2014 marks a pivotal new direction for the WWDR series, for the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), and the many partner agencies that contribute substantially in the production of the flagship report of UN-Water.