Archive for November, 2012

The Thirsty Dragon: Shale Development Threatens China’s Water

Via Energy Daily, a look at the watergy challenge facing China’s planned shale oil development: disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only As China readies for the water-intensive process of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, to tap into massive reserves of shale natural gas, concerns are rising regarding the country’s already limited water supply. China has […]

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An Energy Diet: Cut Back On Water, Pay More Attention To Fish

Via The Nature Conservancy, a report on another aspect of the watergy nexus: fish & freshwater biodiversity: The water-energy nexus is the subject of huge debate and research: How can the United States meet future energy demands while conserving precious water resources? The focus has mostly been on how various energy sources impact both water […]

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Water Scarcity Could Drive Push Towards Wind And Solar

Via RenewEconomy, a report on how water scarcity could drive even more of a push towards renewable energy: In 2010, more water – 583 billion cubic metres – than is discharged each year by the mighty Ganges River in India was used to meet the world’s growing energy needs. It’s an interesting statistic, but why […]

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A Thirst For Power: A Global Analysis Of Water Consumption For Energy Production

Via The Global Water Forum, a look at a recent report by The Center for Water-Energy Efficiency (CWEE): Water and energy resource systems are fundamentally interrelated. Secure and reliable access to both resources is critical to basic survival, as well as ongoing economic development, at all scales and in every region of the world. At […]

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Report: Energy Becoming A Thirstier Resource

Courtesy of Circle of Blue, a look at a key global energy report highlighting the water constraints of energy production: North Dakota is in the midst of a hydrocarbon production boom, as gas and oil developers tap the Bakken Shale. But the boom also is generating civic resistance in the arid region because it requires […]

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Report: Water Accounts For 12.6 Percent Of U.S. Energy Consumption

Via Consumer Energy Report, an article on a recent study on the watergy nexus: A team of researchers from the University of Texas at Austin has released a detailed report on energy use in pumping, treating, delivering, and preparing water for end use makes up no less than 12.6 percent of the nation’s total annual […]

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About This Blog And Its Author
As the scarcity of water and energy continues to grow, the linkage between these two critical resources will become more defined and even more acute in the months ahead.  This blog is committed to analyzing and referencing articles, reports, and interviews that can help unlock the nascent, complex and expanding linkages between water and energy -- The Watergy Nexus -- and will endeavor to provide a central clearinghouse for insightful articles and comments for all to consider.

Educated at Yale University (Bachelor of Arts - History) and Harvard (Master in Public Policy - International Development), Monty Simus has held a lifelong interest in environmental and conservation issues, primarily as they relate to freshwater scarcity, renewable energy, and national park policy.  Working from a water-scarce base in Las Vegas with his wife and son, he is the founder of Water Politics, an organization dedicated to the identification and analysis of geopolitical water issues arising from the world’s growing and vast water deficits, and is also a co-founder of SmartMarkets, an eco-preneurial venture that applies web 2.0 technology and online social networking innovations to motivate energy & water conservation.  He previously worked for an independent power producer in Central Asia; co-authored an article appearing in the Summer 2010 issue of the Tulane Environmental Law Journal, titled: “The Water Ethic: The Inexorable Birth Of A Certain Alienable Right”; and authored an article appearing in the inaugural issue of Johns Hopkins University's Global Water Magazine in July 2010 titled: “H2Own: The Water Ethic and an Equitable Market for the Exchange of Individual Water Efficiency Credits.”