Water Competition within The Water-Energy-Food Nexus in The Yellow River Basin: Insights from Water Quantity and Quality Dimensions

Water is a critical shared resource for food and energy production, and its scarcity is becoming more evident under the combined effects of economic expansion and climate change. This has heightened the debate on the competition for increasingly scarce water resources between the food and energy industries. To comprehensively assess water competition and synergy mechanisms, both water quantity and quality dimensions must be considered. Here, we establish two scenarios based on the water footprint perspective: water quantity (blue water footprint) and water quality-quantity (blue and grey water footprints). By integrating the Lotka-Volterra model with water footprint theory, we propose a method to assess water synergy and competition within the food and energy industries, illustrated through a case study in the Yellow River Basin (YRB). Results show that from 2000 to 2020, urbanization and industrialization have reshaped water competition in the YRB, shifting it from food-producing areas to those focused on energy production. The inclusion of water quality exacerbates the water competition within the food and energy industries, particularly in resource-rich and economically developed cities. Moreover, our study highlights the sensitivity of water competition in the YRB to fluctuations in industrial structural configuration, advancements in water utilization efficiency, and the shifts in policy directives. This indicates that, in charting a path forward, the YRB should consistently enforce water pollution control regulations and embrace advanced water-saving technologies to effectively mitigating conflicts that may arise from water competition.