COVID-19 Reveals Vulnerabilities of the Food–Energy–Water Nexus to Viral Pandemics

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dc.contributor.authorCalder, Ryan S. D.en
dc.contributor.authorGrady, Caitlinen
dc.contributor.authorJeuland, Marcen
dc.contributor.authorKirchhoff, Christine J.en
dc.contributor.authorHale, Rebecca L.en
dc.contributor.authorMuenich, Rebecca L.en
dc.contributor.departmentPopulation Health Sciencesen
dc.contributor.departmentGlobal Change Centeren
dc.date.accessioned2021-08-01T17:59:23Zen
dc.date.available2021-08-01T17:59:23Zen
dc.date.issued2021en
dc.date.updated2021-08-01T17:59:20Zen
dc.description.abstractFood, energy, and water (FEW) sectors are inextricably linked, making one sector vulnerable to disruptions in another. Interactions between FEW systems, viral pandemics, and human health have not been widely studied. We mined scientific and news/media articles for causal relations among FEW and COVID-19 variables and qualitatively characterized system dynamics. Food systems promoted the emergence and spread of COVID-19, leading to illness and death. Major supply-side breakdowns were avoided (likely due to low morbidity/mortality among working-age people). However, COVID-19 and physical distancing disrupted labor and capital inputs and stressed supply chains, while creating economic insecurity among the already vulnerable poor. This led to demand-side FEW insecurities, in turn increasing susceptibility to COVID-19 among people with many comorbidities. COVID-19 revealed trade-offs such as allocation of water to hygiene versus to food production and disease burden avoided by physical distancing versus disease burden from increased FEW insecurities. News/media articles suggest great public interest in FEW insecurities triggered by COVID-19 interventions among individuals with low COVID-19 case-fatality rates. There is virtually no quantitative analysis of any of these trade-offs or feedbacks. Enhanced quantitative FEW and health models are urgently needed as future pandemics are likely and may have greater morbidity and mortality than COVID-19.en
dc.description.versionPublished versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifieracs.estlett.1c00291 (Article number)en
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.1c00291en
dc.identifier.eissn2328-8930en
dc.identifier.issn2328-8930en
dc.identifier.orcidCalder, Ryan [0000-0001-5618-9840]en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/104468en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherAmerican Chemical Societyen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subject0502 Environmental Science and Managementen
dc.subject0907 Environmental Engineeringen
dc.subject1002 Environmental Biotechnologyen
dc.subjectCOVID-19en
dc.titleCOVID-19 Reveals Vulnerabilities of the Food–Energy–Water Nexus to Viral Pandemicsen
dc.title.serialEnvironmental Science & Technology Lettersen
dc.typeArticle - Refereeden
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Techen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/Veterinary Medicineen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/Veterinary Medicine/Population Health Sciencesen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/Faculty of Health Sciencesen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/All T&R Facultyen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/Veterinary Medicine/CVM T&R Facultyen

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