Water and sanitation provision in a low carbon society: The need for a systems approach

In the face of climate change threatening to cause major alterations to hydrological cycles and taking into account the relationship between water, energy use, and food production, water management challenges today prove more complex than ever to address. This paper, recognising the progress made through science and engineering in the last century, reflects on the need to manage water resources more sustainably. It proposes that a change in mindsets is required in order to reconsider our approach in applying established solutions and utilising current technologies and tools to deliver them, with a renewed focus on re-assessing what the real problems are from a systems perspective. Focusing on the water-energy-food nexus, water reuse using desalination processes as a management option is revisited. Findings demonstrate that interdisciplinary, integrated and holistic solutions have the potential to deliver benefits across different sectors, disciplines, and systems, with a real potential for taking us a bit closer to sustainability