Water-Energy-Food Security: What are the potential contributions of the mining industry?

The briefing describes the 'water-energy-food (WEF) nexus'—defined by quality, quantity, and sustainable access—and how mining operations can threaten these securities through water pollution, land competition, and energy demands. IISD proposes a framework combining participatory approaches, hydrological modelling, and the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework to identify key indicators for monitoring WEF security. This approach is currently being applied to the Maripaston Gold Mine project in Suriname to safeguard the livelihoods of indigenous and maroon communities.

• The mining industry faces increasing pressure due to projected growth in resource demand, with metals demand expected to rise by 250 per cent between 2005 and 2030 and global ore extraction expected to increase from 8 billion tonnes to 11 billion tonnes a year between 2010 and 2020.
• Mining operations impact WEF security through specific pressures: chemical leaching and hard metals affect water and food quality; water withdrawal affects quantity; and land use/disturbance limits sustainable access to food and energy production.
• IISD utilizes a methodological process to operationalize WEF security in mining contexts, employing hydrological modelling to quantify current conditions and predict future impacts, and the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework to explore cause-and-effect relationships between human activities and human well-being.
• In Suriname, IISD is applying this WEF-sensitive approach to the Maripaston Gold Mine project to protect the interests of indigenous and maroon communities, resulting in stakeholder workshops, hydrological modelling, and the development of a monitoring indicator set.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (n.d.). Water-Energy-Food Security: What are the potential contributions of the mining industry? https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/water-energy-food-security-mining-industry.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Water-Energy-Food Security: What are the potential contributions of the mining industry? n.d. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/water-energy-food-security-mining-industry.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Water-Energy-Food Security: What are the potential contributions of the mining industry? |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/water-energy-food-security-mining-industry.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopmentndwaterenergyfood, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Water-Energy-Food Security: What are the potential contributions of the mining industry?}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/water-energy-food-security-mining-industry.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }