The Planetary Water Drama: Dual Task of Feeding Humanity and Curbing Climate Change

This research paper examines the conflict between global freshwater requirements and the dual goals of carbon sequestration and food production by 2050, concluding that the water costs of sequestration would exceed planetary boundaries and worsen river depletion.

• The consumptive water use required for the combined goals of carbon sequestration and feeding humanity by 2050 would exceed the proposed planetary boundary for global consumptive freshwater use and increase the depletion of rivers, leading to water allocation and shortage issues.
• Because of the high freshwater costs associated with CO2 sequestration, the primary strategy for climate mitigation should be the reduction of emissions.
• There is a necessity to evaluate the tradeoffs between water and carbon specifically regarding large-scale biofuel production as a climate mitigation strategy to compare its impacts and gains against carbon sequestration strategies.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2012). The Planetary Water Drama: Dual Task of Feeding Humanity and Curbing Climate Change. https://www.sei.org/publications/the-planetary-water-drama-dual-task-of-feeding-humanity-and-curbing-climate-change/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. The Planetary Water Drama: Dual Task of Feeding Humanity and Curbing Climate Change. 2012. https://www.sei.org/publications/the-planetary-water-drama-dual-task-of-feeding-humanity-and-curbing-climate-change/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=The Planetary Water Drama: Dual Task of Feeding Humanity and Curbing Climate Change |date=10 August 2012 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/the-planetary-water-drama-dual-task-of-feeding-humanity-and-curbing-climate-change/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2012planetary, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{The Planetary Water Drama: Dual Task of Feeding Humanity and Curbing Climate Change}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2012}, month = aug, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/the-planetary-water-drama-dual-task-of-feeding-humanity-and-curbing-climate-change/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }