An Integrated Overview of the Water, Energy, Food Nexus in Central and South Asia

This chapter provides a description of the nexus between water, energy, and food security in the Central and South Asian region, including a description of the commonalities and differences. This description serves as the rationale for the regional footprint used in this book and the interactions between the countries including in the region. It provides an overview of the geopolitical considerations that make the region strategically important to the world. The following dynamic drivers of large-scale and strategic changes in the region are briefly discussed: geopolitical forces and events, trends related to urbanization, impacts of the global climate change, and emerging factors such as the COVID-19 global pandemic. A brief summary of the regional challenges and opportunities is provided, which serves as an introduction to the four sections of this book and various chapters: developmental and economic challenges; threats to water, energy, and food security; and political volatility. Finally, this chapter provides a section-by-section overview of the book as a whole.