Electricity for groundwater use: constraints and opportunities for adaptive response to climate change

This research paper examines the intersection of electricity supply, groundwater irrigation, and CO2 emissions, focusing on the 'perfect storm' of climate, water, and energy challenges in Mexico.

• Groundwater is increasingly used globally to meet demands for industrialization, urban supply, irrigation, and occasionally electrical power generation, serving as a strategic resource for climate adaptation as it substitutes for surface water during hydroclimatic variability.
• In Mexico, the provision of night-time power at tariffs lower than existing subsidized rates for agricultural groundwater use has led farmers to increase pumping, which has reversed previous gains in electricity and water conservation.
• Agricultural groundwater pumping in Mexico generates emissions estimated at 3.6% of the country's total national emissions, a figure equivalent to the emissions produced by transporting that same agricultural produce to market.
• Unregulated groundwater pumping, including for the export of virtual water via agricultural products, poses a threat to riparian ecosystems, non-agricultural water uses, and the long-term sustainability of aquifers.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2025). Electricity for groundwater use: constraints and opportunities for adaptive response to climate change. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/electricity-for-groundwater-use-constraints-and-opportunities-for-adaptive-response-to-climate-change/

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Electricity for groundwater use: constraints and opportunities for adaptive response to climate change. 2025. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/electricity-for-groundwater-use-constraints-and-opportunities-for-adaptive-response-to-climate-change/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Electricity for groundwater use: constraints and opportunities for adaptive response to climate change |date=17 January 2025 |url=https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/electricity-for-groundwater-use-constraints-and-opportunities-for-adaptive-response-to-climate-change/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2025electricity, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Electricity for groundwater use: constraints and opportunities for adaptive response to climate change}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/electricity-for-groundwater-use-constraints-and-opportunities-for-adaptive-response-to-climate-change/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }