An Analysis of Water, Energy, and Food (WEF) Security in Alaska
Date
2023-09-15
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
0009-0005-0998-7598
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
Water, energy, and food (WEF) security has increasingly become a key area of research in sustainable development. Prompted by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, a large body of research highlights the inter-connectedness of WEF systems and the dangers of their siloed treatment. Simultaneously, more attention is being placed on the lived conditions of remote populations in the Arctic, especially for areas like Alaska, where WEF insecurities are prevalent, yet obscured by national reporting. This research adapted the Global WEF Nexus Security Index to calculate the WEF security scores for Alaska and each of its five regions.
Despite the United States ranking 5th globally in WEF security in this index, Alaska and its 5 regions suffer from considerably higher rates of WEF insecurity. Results indicate that Alaska’s WEF index is 62.73, which is approximately 16 points below the US WEF security score, with Alaska’s sub-index scores ranging from 3.87 to 35.73 points lower than the US. Alaska performs comparable to the US in its water and energy pillars but shows the greatest variability in the food sub-index score with food availability being the lowest sub-pillar score. The regional scores show considerable variability between them, especially for food access and availability, though water accessibility is similar across the regions. The high WEF score of the US obfuscates the reality and variability in WEF security in Alaska and its regions.
Given the current WEF-related challenges faced by residents of Alaska, with their livelihoods closely intertwined with accessible and available WEF resources, this research offers a more nuanced representation of the variable insecurities experienced in Alaska and its most remote regions. This approach, and the results generated, can be used to inform future research that ultimately guides strategic interventions that lend to the WEF security of Alaskan residents.
Description
Keywords
WEF security, WEF nexus, resource management, food security, water security, energy security
Citation
Degree
Master of Science (M.Sc.)
Department
Agricultural and Resource Economics
Program
Agricultural Economics