WEF Nexus Research GroupBold Steps: Psst, Have you heard about WEFRAH? Maingate Magazine, Barbara Rosica, Managing Editor. Fall 2020/Winter 2021, Vol. XIX, No. 1, page 16. Pdf version
AUB Professors @ Work: When water, food, energy, and health converge. Dr. Rabi Mohtar, Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences explains how 56 AUB research scientists in the university’s biggest collaboration work together to understand and promote linkages among water, food, energy, and health systems for a sustainable Middle East.
The solution to water, energy, and food security challenges: Building Bridges!
Bassel Daher, PhD, Research Associate, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering; Texas A&M Energy Institute, Research Fellow, Institute for Science Technology & Public Policy, Bush School of Government & Public Service, Texas A&M University
The grand challenges our world faces today – including growing water, energy, and food insecurities – are complex and tightly interconnected. Addressing them requires working across disciplines to develop innovative and multifaceted solutions that respond to their social, economic, technological, and policy dimensions. These solutions also need to be co-created by engaging with a diverse array of stakeholders who govern, consume, and manage the supply chains of the resource systems.
Towards a Sustainable Water Future, 24 – 27th September 2019 Bengaluru, India
Lessons Learned from the San Antonio Case Studies:Researchers share their experience of forming an interdisciplinary team at Texas A&M University’s Water-Energy-Food Nexus Initiative (WEFNI) to address a resource hotspot in San Antonio, Texas. The webinar includes the presentation of 10 research articles, published in a “Science of the Total Environment” special issue, and documenting the experience, highlighting lessons learned that are potentially transferable to addressing other resource hotspots globally. The webinar also introduces the AUB initiative, led by Rabi H. Mohtar: The Water-Energy-Food-Health Nexus Renewable Resources Initiative, (WEFRAH). This initiative builds on the work begun at TAMU and paves the way for new collaborations, partnerships, and engagement between the two institutions per the recently signed AUB-TAMU MoU.
STOTEN Special IssueWebinar summaryINTRODUCTIONWEF Consortium milestones & SDG applications
Videos: 1) LESSONS LEARNED; 2) MODELING; 3) WATER and ENERGY; 4) WATER and FOOD; 5) GOVERNANCE and FINANCING; 6)MOVING FORWARD (AUB-WEFRAH)
TEDx: How will you choose to contribute? Bassel Daher introduces three major interconnected challenges facing our global community: water, energy , and food security. Focusing on the importance of working across disciplines to address these complex challenges, Daher presents the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a platform and catalyst that contributes to resolving them. He highlights the important role of science in supporting the development of the policies needed to achieve a more sustainable future for all. Key messages include: 1) Engineering know-how alone is not sufficient to address complex interconnected challenges. We also need to focus on the social, economic and political aspects; 2) The early involvement of different stakeholders is critical for co-creating solutions that are implementable and address local needs; and 3) Investing genuine time and effort in communicating the knowledge and scientific results to stakeholders and decision makers is crucial.
Nexus Interview with Bassel Daher, Texas A&M University’s Water-Energy-Food Nexus Research Group. In the interview, the Nexus Resource Platform speaks with Mr. Daher about the article ‘Developing Socio-Techno-Economic-Political (STEP) Solutions for Addressing Resource Nexus Hotspots’ published in ‘Sustainability’ in February 2018. [doi:10.3390/su10020512, download]
Climate Change and WEF Nexus in MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Dr. Rabi Mohtar. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has projected that temperatures in the Arab region will rise between 1 to 1.5 degrees by 2030 and up to 4 degrees by 2100 over parts of the Arab world (IPCC, 2007). Most of the dramatic impact is expected to affect the sub tropics where most of the ESCWA region is located. If adaptation and mitigation policies stay unchanged, it is projected that twenty coastal cities around the world will see devastating impacts from a significant increase in sea level waters; four of them are in north Africa and ME region: Algiers, Beirut, Alexandria and Benghazi. These cities will see significant impacts that have the potential to disrupt coastal agriculture, lifeline, power, telecommunications and transportation sectors (ESCWA 2016; Hallegatte et al., 2013). Listen to Podcast
Renewable Energy and Water and Food Security listen to podcast (July 26, 2017) Rabi Mohtar. Renewable energy technologies are projected to have substantial growth in the coming decades, especially given the environmental, social and economic drivers observed globally. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region encloses abundant alternative energy sources such as solar, wind and hydropower. The concern is more whether the Arab region will be able to respond to and manage the growth opportunities in this emerging sector.
Water-Energy-Food Nexus: Opportunities for Research and Learning (April 12, 2017) American Chemical Society WebinarDr. Brandi Schottel, National Science Foundation, is a science analyst and sustainability science expert at the National Science Foundation Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems. Professor Rabi Mohtar, Texas A&M University, leads the WEF Research Group at Texas A&M addressing global resource challenges such as the development of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus framework linking science to policy, characterization of the soil-water medium using thermodynamic modeling, efficacy of non-traditional water using physical-based methodologies; and applications for sustainable, integrated water management.
ERS Spotlight Series (February 23, 2017) Dr. Mohtar speaks with the Texas A&M Energy Research Spotlight Series about the WEF Nexus. Listen to the interview
Food Security Program Interview: Professor Rabi Mohtar (January 2017)
Dr. Rabi Mohtar discusses water and food security in the Middle East and North Africa during an interview with Ms. Rachel Bahn of the Food Security Program at the American University of Beirut.
Mohtar on the Food-Energy-Water Nexus (Washington, 2016) In this two part video, Dr. Rabi Mohtar talks about what the water-energy-food nexus is, what the drivers behind the nexus platform and solutions are, elements of the nexus, and the governing principle of the nexus. Part IPart II
TAMUS- Research Nexus: Water Forum (February 2016) The following list of videos are from the Water Forum held by Texas A&M University-San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas. You can click here to get links to all videos along with the agenda and final report from forum or see the video links below:
Introduction to Forum Objectives– (Rabi Mohtar) Forum Reconvenes for Discussion Group Summaries and Way forward -(Rabi Mohtar)
Navigating Agriculture through the Water-Energy-Food Nexus (November 2015) The presentation was delivered by Dr. Rabi Mohtar at the ‘Navigating Agriculture through the Water-Energy-Food Nexus Symposium’ held November 19, 2015 in Austin, Texas. He discusses the water-energy-food nexus in agricultural communities in Texas and how resources can be managed.</span>
The Atlantic Dialogues 2015: Conversations (October 2015)
The video offers conversations about food security with: Joaquim Vieira Ferreira Levy, Finance Minister, Brazil moderated by Lourival Sant’Anna, Associate Director and Fernand Braudel, Institute of World Economics. In the second half of the video (37:48) a conversation about the linkage between energy and food is held with Rabi Mohtar, Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center and Thione Niang, Co-Founder, Akon Lighting Africa moderated by Jim Kolbe, Senior Transatlantic Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States.
Grand Challenges Mini-Symposium: Soil Security (May 2015)
The Grand Challenges Mini-Symposium discusses soil security and was held at Texas A&M University. Dr. Rabi Mohtar discusses (24:30) the externalities to the soil-water-food system and the ability of soil paradigms to meet the global challenges. He also talks about integrative environmental modeling and the applications of it.
Dresden Nexus Conference 2015: Rabi Mohtar – Concluding Talk (March 2015)
Dr. Rabi Mohtar gives the Concluding Talk for Day 1 at the Dresden Nexus Conference in Dresden, Germany on March 25, 2015. The Concluding Talk serves to synthesize the Day 1 theme of Climate Change by analyzing the overall outcomes of the day, providing recommendations of action related to the thematic topic of the day and providing an outlook for future initiatives in this area.
Climate Change & Food Security (October 2014)
This lecture is a live streamed video and an installment in the Borlaug Institute Seminar Series. Held at the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, Dr. Bruce McCarl and Dr. Rabi Mohtar, both professors of Texas A&M University, discuss how the world’s changing climate affects global food supplies and the measures that must be taken to ensure food security for future generations.
Water-Energy-Food Nexus in Action: From Texas to Global Sustainability (2014)
Dr. Rabi Mohtar talks about the Nexus research activities and the water-energy-food linkages in Texas and globally. He seeks to bring awareness to the Water-Energy-Food nexus in policy and practice and identifies key questions for the State of Texas to explore in the context of sustainability.
Interview Rabi Mohtar- Texas A&M University & Qatar Foundation (June 2014)
This video is an interview with Rabi Mohtar at the International Conference on The Water-Food-Energy Nexus in Drylands: Bridging Science and Policy held 11-13 June 2014 in Rabat, Morocco.
The Nexus Approach: The Road to Water, Energy and Food Security in the Arab World? (January 2014)
This is a presentation of an IFI research study and a panel discussion on The Nexus Approach: The Road to Water, Energy and Food Security in the Arab World? held by the Climate Change and Environment in the Arab World Program at IFI with Holger Hoff, Rabi Mohtar, Ralf Klingbeil, Nadim Farajalla.
Nexus Dialogue: What does the Water-Energy-Food Security Nexus mean to you? (April, 2013)
This video, is part of the Nexus Interview Series by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and centers around the question “What does the Water-Energy-Food Security Nexus mean to you?”
Who or What Drives Climate Change Policy in the Arab world?(Qatar, December 2012)
This video is of a discussion called, “Who or What Drives Climate Change Policy in the Arab world?” held by the Center for International and Regional Studies in Doha, Qatar on December 3, 2012 in collaboration with the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs.
Presentation of QEERI (November 2012)
Dr Rabi Mohtar’s presentation at the Qatar National Convention about the Qatar Energy and Environment Research Institute on November 19-23, 2011 in Doha, Qatar.
Energy & Environment Research Discussion (Qatar, November 2011)
Dr. Rabi Mohtar at discussion panel at the Qatar National Convention about Qatar Energy & and Environment Research Institute on November 19-23, 2011 in Doha, Qatar.
WEF Forum (October 2011)
Rabi Mohtar joins the Davos Debates in Jordan at the Special Meeting on Economic Growth and Job Creation in the Arab World, held at the Dead Sea, Jordan, 21-23 October 2011.
Water Security – Open Forum (2010)
Speakers talk about water security at World Economic Forum and answer questions such as: What are the key challenges to water security in the Middle East?, How is the water issue linked to economic growth and what are its implications?, and How can regional stakeholders better collaborate to address the issue?