RAND Research on Food, Energy, and Water Security

  • Journal Article

    Developing Key Indicators for Adaptive Water Planning

    Current state-of-the-art approaches to water planning make it difficult for agencies like the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to craft flexible plans to guide resource allocation. Using a method called robust decision-making (RDM), researchers put for forth methods to develop robust and adaptive plans in the face of uncertain future conditions.

    Jul 11, 2023

  • Tool

    Mid-Atlantic Regional Climate Impacts Summary and Outlook: Spring 2023

    This climate summary aims to inform Mid-Atlantic policymakers and practitioners about weather patterns for spring 2023, regional climate trends, and the upcoming summer season.

    Jun 29, 2023

  • Tool

    Developing Future Projected Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) Curves: Technical Report

    To support stormwater managers in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and Virginia in adapting to climate change, this study updated intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves, a common tool used for stormwater infrastructure design, to reflect future climate changes.

    Jul 9, 2021

  • Tool

    Water Planning for the Uncertain Future

    Recent climatic shifts likely will continue to affect water resources management in significant but uncertain ways. This tool provides information about decisionmaking under deep uncertainty methods—specifically, Robust Decision Making—through five case studies.

    Mar 8, 2021

  • Research Brief

    Green Infrastructure Can Help Manage Rainfall in an Urban Watershed

    Urbanization, inadequate investment in aging infrastructure, and more-frequent heavy rainfall events due to climate change have led to sewer overflows, flooding, and reduced water quality in U.S. cities. The challenges of increasing volumes of stormwater can be addressed by a mix of solutions.

    Oct 29, 2020

  • Report

    Managing Heavy Rainfall with Green Infrastructure

    Urban stormwater management is a growing challenge in many U.S. cities. An evaluation of Pittsburgh's Negley Run watershed, an urgent flood-risk challenge, shows investment in green stormwater infrastructure could reduce flooding and provide net positive economic benefits.

    Oct 26, 2020

  • Report

    Alternatives for Reducing Army Installation Utility Bills While Enhancing Installation Readiness

    Many Army installations are facing significant and increasing monthly costs in their utility accounts for energy and water services. Researchers identified options for reducing installation utility costs in three main areas: reducing commodity payments; finding alternative funding sources for energy and water system investments; and leveraging nontraditional partnerships.

    Jun 18, 2020

  • Journal Article

    Climate-Resilient Planning for Urban Stormwater and Wastewater Utilities

    This workshop brought together leaders from 15 major metropolitan water utilities in the United States and Canada and other experts to exchange and discuss current practices, lessons learned, and new ideas for developing actionable rainfall projections and incorporating climate-informed stormwater flows into planning processes.

    Mar 5, 2020

  • Journal Article

    National Trends in Food Insecurity and Congregation-Based Food Provision

    Congregation-based food provision is helping to meet the needs of food-insecure households, however research suggests congregations and non-profits are not an adequate substitute for federally funded programs.

    Oct 15, 2019

  • Report

    India and Pakistan Could Better Manage Shared Air and Water Resources

    Infrastructure development along shared water resources and air pollution from agricultural burning are heightening tensions between India and Pakistan. But these issues should be seen as an opportunity for cooperation to improve health and well-being.

    Oct 9, 2019

  • Tool

    Developing a Robust Water Strategy for Monterrey, Mexico: Planning Support Tool

    This interactive tool demonstrates the data and analysis developed in support of Fondo de Agua Metropolitano de Monterrey's Monterrey Water Plan for 2050.

    Aug 9, 2019

  • Report

    Developing a Robust Water Strategy for Monterrey, Mexico

    Mexico's third-largest metropolitan area, Monterrey, faces future water security challenges as the region grows. Analysis of long-term trends and vulnerabilities in water management shows a robust, adaptive water management strategy can meet current and future needs.

    Aug 9, 2019

  • Report

    Valuing Air Force Electric Power Resilience

    How well do current Air Force processes evaluate power resilience investments? A proposed framework identifies cost- and performance-related information in a clear manner that facilitates decisionmaking.

    Jun 3, 2019

  • Journal Article

    Preparing for Future Droughts in Lima, Peru

    A rapidly growing population and expanding city will likely increase demand for water in Lima, Peru. This study evaluates the city's current drought management plan against future droughts and proposes augmentations.

    May 17, 2019

  • Journal Article

    Robust Decision Making: Application to Water Planning and Climate Policy

    Long-term water planning is increasingly challenging, and there are also large uncertainties faced by policymakers addressing global climate change. Methods for Decision Making under Deep Uncertainty (DMDU) can be useful for addressing long-term policy challenges.

    Apr 10, 2019

  • Report

    Decision Support Tool for the San Francisco Bay-Delta Levees Investment Strategy

    The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta faces complex and varied flood risks. Possible investments to mitigate these risks are numerous, and they will affect Delta risks differently. The decision support tool aided the Delta Stewardship Council in developing a Delta Levees Investment Strategy.

    Mar 7, 2019

  • Tool

    Decision Support Tool for the San Francisco Bay-Delta Levee Investment Strategy

    The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta plays a key role in the California water distribution system, but also faces complex and varied flood risks. The risk modeling and decision support tool informed the formulation of a Delta Levees Investment Strategy to mitigate risks.

    Mar 7, 2019

  • Draft

    Estimating Future Water Demand for San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District

    Water resources management is becoming increasingly challenging in Southern California. The San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District’s first step in a comprehensive evaluation to assess its demand projections. This evaluation may be of interest to water agencies in other locations addressing the impacts of drought, population growth, and climate uncertainty.

    Dec 28, 2018

  • Journal Article

    Food Security in the Gulf Cooperation Council

    Domestic food production is an ongoing challenge for the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council. These countries are largely dependent on food imports and are subject to a number of potential disruptions. What strategies have they taken to increase domestic food production or facilitate access to imports?

    Nov 28, 2018

  • Report

    How to Solve the Water Crisis in Gaza

    Gaza has long had water and sanitation challenges, but today it's in a state of emergency. The crisis could be resolved through greater investment in water and power infrastructure as well as more water or electricity purchases. But political complications and other barriers remain.

    Sep 26, 2018

  • Report

    Building Resilience in an Urban Coastal Environment

    What are the potential effects of climate change and sea level rise on flood risk, ecosystems, and water quality in New York City's Jamaica Bay? How can flood risk be reduced while also improving water quality, restoring habitat, and improving resilience to extreme weather events?

    Jul 31, 2018

  • Report

    Adapting to a Changing Climate in Southeast Florida

    Florida's Miami-Dade and Broward counties are vulnerable to flooding and intrusion of saltwater into drinking water. These risks are driven by sea level rise, changes in precipitation, and urban development. Alum David Groves (cohort '01) and colleagues ask, how can the region adapt?

    Jun 6, 2018

  • Journal Article

    Examining the Food-Energy-Water and Conflict Nexus

    Student Michele Abbott (cohort '14) used the Pardee RAND Food-Energy-Water (FEW) Index to identify a positive, significant correlation between FEW security and political stability, and reviewed the evidence for how each of these three types of resource insecurities affects political and social stability.

    Jan 31, 2018

  • Report

    Air Force Installation Energy Assurance

    Air Force mission success is increasingly dependent on assured access to electricity. A number of factors can interrupt supply of electric power, including natural disasters, accidents, and deliberate interference. Researchers present a framework to assess energy assurance at Air Force installations.

    Nov 6, 2017

  • Multimedia

    Federal Research and Development for Agricultural Biodefense

    An overview of testimony by Daniel Gerstein presented before the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Subcommittee on Research and Technology on November 2, 2017.

    Nov 2, 2017