Confronting Scarcity : Managing water, energy and land for inclusive and sustainable growth

This Report focuses on water, energy and land. It examines the constraints on each, the interrelationships between them and then considers how they can be managed together to promote growth in developing countries that is both socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable. A rising world population and global economic growth place new pressures on natural resources. The demand for energy and water is expected to grow by 40% and for food by 50% by 2030 compared to present levels. In an interconnected world, these pressures are exacerbated when solutions to resource constraints in one area place additional strains on another. Expanding the provision of biofuels, for example, can contribute to pressures on both land and water. Countries pursuing food security at home have acquired land overseas, sometimes at the expense of access to land and water by existing communities.