21 January 2014: The World Bank has launched the ‘Thirsty Energy’ initiative in response to interlinked water and energy challenges, including growing competition for energy and water resources by an expanding global population, and increasing uncertainty caused by climate change.

The initiative aims to aid governments in: identifying synergies and quantifying tradeoffs between energy development plans and water use; piloting cross-sectoral planning to ensure sustainability of energy and water investments; and designing assessment tools and management frameworks to help governments coordinate decision-making. The goal of the initiative is to support integrated investment decision and planning by governments to mitigate water-energy related risks.

During the launch, Maria van der Hoeven, Executive Director, International Energy Agency (IEA), and Rachel Kyte, Vice-President, World Bank, highlighted the linkages between water and energy, the need for stakeholders in both sectors to work together to address water-energy challenges, and the prerequisite of addressing water-energy issues in order to extend access to energy to the poor.

The initiative was presented at the World Future Energy Summit and International Water Summit, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is taking place from 20-22 January 2014. [World Bank Press Release, 20 January 2014] [World Bank Press Release, 16 January 1204] [Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) Press Release] [IISD RS Coverage of the World Future Energy Summit] [Thirsty Energy Initiative Summary]