Water security for a net-zero emissions future
The challenge
The global transition to a net-zero emissions economy presents new and emerging challenges. Like other resource development activities, water extraction and renewable energy infrastructure require careful assessment of potential environmental impacts. This includes consideration of potential impacts on the environmentally, economically, and culturally important values.
Other considerations include competing needs of other water users, such as agriculture and other extractive industries.
Wind turbine in the sunlight. Credit: Kayla Steele, CSIRO.
Our response
We developed a rapid, nationally consistent approach to assess potential impacts on water and the environment. The method systematically plans for the scale of renewable energy infrastructure and future water resource demands and availability. This includes the construction and operational phases, as well as water treatment, processing and cooling needed for production. Resource estimates for a future a net-zero emissions economy use conservative assumptions to give a ‘reasonable upper bound’ estimate. The method encompasses different physical characteristics, geography, and jurisdictions across Australia. Quantitative estimates of water and land needed for development under a net-zero emissions future can be scaled for different scenarios.
Spatial causal networks combine systematic hazard identification, conceptual system understanding and a robust risk assessment with the transparent logic of cause-and-effect relationships. An interactive version of the networks is available at causalnetworks.csiro.au.
The results
The spatial causal networks assess potential impacts for large and small-scale energy facilities in a region. Decision makers can scale the resources needed for future developments to assess potential impacts for different scenarios. The spatial causal networks provide a structured evidence base to determine where potential impacts can or cannot be ruled out.
