Recarbonizing landscapes at the water-energy nexus: Revisualizing ontologies of place-thought in a warming world

Keywords: Water; Energy; Water-Energy Nexus; Place-Thought; Hydrosocial
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 08:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 09:20 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 47

Abstract

The water-energy nexus (WEN) is a touchstone for both scholarly and policy debates regarding the interconnections between the hydrological cycle and energy production. In this paper, we explore critical gaps in the WEN concept. First, based on a meta-review of over 500 WEN visualizations, we argue that the WEN literature often depict complex landscapes as technical systems, while eliding broader considerations of the multiscalar, spatiotemporal, and hydrosocial dimensions of water and energy. In response to these limitations, we offer an alternative approach to visualizing hydrosocial landscapes that draws upon parallel work in geography and cognate disciplines. Second, we explore recent advances in Indigenous legal theory which offer a powerful critique of the ontological underpinnings of WEN. We specifically explore concepts of legal personhood, place-thought, and Indigenous data sovereignty; these concepts, we argue, imply the need to fundamentally reformulate WEN analyses, particularly in the context of settler colonial societies. Throughout the paper, our analysis is illustrated with reference to a case study of north-eastern British Columbia (Canada), one of Earth’s WEN hotspots.