SIM4NEXUS

Land, food, energy, water and climate are interconnected, comprising a coherent system (the ‘Nexus’), dominated by complexity and feedback. Putting pressure on one part of the Nexus can create pressures on the others. Management of the Nexus is critical to securing the efficient use of our scarce resources. SIM4NEXUS envisions the Nexus concept as an integral part of the transition towards a resource-efficient and low-carbon economy. In order to boost the necessary transition SIM4NEXUS aims to develop innovative methodologies for the facilitation of the design of policies and bridge knowledge and technology gaps in the field of the water-land-food-energy-climate Nexus under climate change conditions. SIM4NEXUS considers five distinct, vitally important themes: Water, Energy, Land, Food, Climate and aims to predict society-wide impacts of resource use and relevant policies on sectors such as agriculture, water, biodiversity and ecosystem services through a model-based analysis of the nexus. The results of the analysis rooted in complexity science will serve as the basis for the framework for an integrated resource-use and policy assessment tool that will effectively bridge the Nexus knowledge gap: a cloud-based ‘serious game’ providing immersive experience for testing and evaluation of policy decisions. The ‘serious game’ will be developed to be operable at scales ranging from regional to national, to continental, to global, as well as at different time horizons, including short, medium and long-term. The ‘serious game’ will be validated (applied, tested and verified) in ten case studies ranging from regional to national level. Two further strategic ‘serious games’ at European and global levels will also be developed for demonstration and education purposes, as well as for the exploration of potential further applications and uses. The market potential of the ‘serious game’ resource-use and policy assessment tool will be presented in a robust business plan aimed at offering a long-lasting, economically sustainable use of SIM4NEXUS results in spin-off products.