Abstract
Scholars, government scientific research institutions, and public policy-making entities are increasingly focusing on environmental issues from a food-energy-water (FEW) nexus perspective. This nexus represents the interconnection of these three systems, which are essential to human life. The FEW nexus is inherently and inescapably interdisciplinary. However, to date, there have been relatively few academic contributions to understanding the nexus from the social sciences, particularly from psychology. In this article, we suggest an extended framing of the nexus (food-energy-water x human) to explicitly recognize how human actions in the form of both consumption practices and population size and distribution impact the FEW nexus. We outline important contributions that psychology researchers could make in FEW nexus focused research teams. In doing so, we acknowledge difficulties and potential risks for psychology researchers engaging in FEW nexus based research, but suggest that, while such difficulties can create barriers, they can also present opportunities for psychologists.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 136-149 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Journal of Social Issues |
Volume | 76 |
Issue number | 1 |
Early online date | 10 Dec 2019 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Mar 2020 |
Funding
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University, Arizona State University, and the University of Florida are conducting innovative research linking quantitative and qualitative methods to reduce resource use and waste in the seafood supply chain. Through focusing on the (sea)food, energy, and water nexus, the research team is taking a systems approach to understanding resource inefficiencies in producing and harvesting seafood as well as the factors shaping waste across the supply chain and in the household. Psychological expertise, among multiple other types, is being used to understand the factors related to food waste as well as to test the feasibility of interventions aimed at reducing energy, water, and food waste. In a novel approach, results from a nationwide seafood waste diary study are being integrated into a lifecycle analysis to better understand the amount of embedded energy and water wasted in U.S. households. The first author of this article is part of this project. This research is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, through the Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy and Water Systems (INFEWS) initiative (Award #2018‐67003‐27408). Although there is much potential for psychology researchers to contribute to nexus research, they are only just beginning to engage with the FEW nexus. In this perspective piece, we issue a call to action for psychology researchers to become involved in FEW nexus research. This call emerges from a FEW nexus workshop co‐led by the first two authors at the Psychology of Sustainable Consumption Small Group Meeting, hosted by the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI), the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists (SASP), and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA in May 2018. We examine potential barriers to participation for psychology researchers in this topic area and the opportunities that researchers have to play a critical role in the study of the FEW nexus.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Social Sciences