Challenges and Opportunities in Responding to Nexus Shocks

Nexus shocks are non-linear, spanning multiple sectors and geographies, with decisions often made with a sectoral focus. This can lead to failures to consider the impacts on and interactions of other sectors and stakeholders. A number of challenges and opportunities emerge when examining the impacts of climate shocks to the food, energy, water, environment nexus, particularly when exploring the relationship between society, the system on which it depends and its components (e.g. infrastructure, healthcare etc.). A system’s vulnerability and exposure to the risks produced by nexus shocks will affect its capacity to respond and the behaviours of people within it. This is where the co-production of approaches and space for bottom-up initiatives can pave the way to overcome challenges that emerge from nexus shocks and facilitate the design of sustainable and resilient responses to nexus shocks