Water-energy-food nexus of sugarcane ethanol production in the state of Goiás, Brazil : an analysis with regional input-output matrix

Abstract

Concerns about impacts of biomass growth for biofuel production emphasize the importance of planning energy crops expansion considering water, energy and land resources, as well as greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). This study analyses the impacts of first-generation sugarcane ethanol expansion in the Paranaíba basin (Goiás State), focusing on how future demand for ethanol could affect socio-economic, energy and environmental indicators in the region. An economic-ecological Input-Output (IO) framework was applied to develop a water-energy-food nexus (WEFN) analysis on ethanol production. Results show that sugarcane expansion would apparently cause little significant impacts on land and water availability in the Paranaíba basin, when analysing only the direct impacts of this expansion in the region. The WEFN analysis is a valuable tool on guiding the sustainable management of natural resources considering water, energy, land use and GHG emissions as goals to the same policy. In particular, the hybrid extended IO-WEFN framework is useful to design effective biofuel policies, collectively addressing impacts on environmental, social and economic spheres, in a local or broader context.