Water and Energy Are ‘Inextricably Linked,’ Grace Report Says

Energy, water and food are “inextricably linked,” and imbalances between the three systems can cause adverse impacts to the economy and ecosystems, according to a report from the Grace Communications Foundation.

Examples of the linkage include power use in California and freshwater consumption in the U.S., according to an e-mailed statement today from the foundation. Moving drinking water and treating wastewater requires about 20 percent of California’s electricity, and a quarter of U.S. freshwater is effectively wasted when food is discarded, an amount that’s nearly equivalent to the volume of Lake Erie, the foundation said.