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S. Liphadzi et al.
assessing the performance and progress of SDGs, policy framing, strategies for
climate change adaptation, livelihood transformation, project appraisal, governance
structures, among other applications. The approach assesses the effects of different
intervention scenarios in the development and management of resources for informed
planning by decision-makers. Applications of the WEF nexus analytical framework
are diverse and multi-scale, and they include:
1. Scenario planning: The impacts of future climate change are unpredictable,
and climate change projections are embedded with uncertainty, a situation
that complicates policy- and decision-making in the context of climate change
[37]. As a result, decision-makers prefer using scenario planning in policy
formulation for climate change, as it uses alternatives and response options
in climate change adaptation [17, 74]. As scenario planning uses the “what
if, how and when” criteria rather than a predictive approach which has lots of
uncertainty, the WEF nexus analytical framework comes in handy as it analyses
and assesses all possible intervention strategies and indicates whether intervention on any resource is sustainable or not, and how the intervention affects the
other resources [9, 60]. As climate change is a cross-cutting challenge, adaptation strategies and scenario planning should be formulated around the WEF
nexus framework to ensure that policies are evidence-based, well coordinated,
targeted, and coherent. Both the WEF nexus and scenario planning are recognised for their ability to not relying on or assigning likelihoods to future conditions; instead, they widen decision priorities for informed potential responses
[74]. Linking the WEF nexus and scenario planning provides pathways towards
flexible and reliable opportunities to upscale or downscale as informed by
prevailing challenges. Scenario planning methods include the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs), the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs),
and Representative Agricultural Pathways (RAPs). Scenario planning facilitates
an integrated analysis of both long-term and near-term modelling analyses of
events to understand and assess the degree of vulnerability. The assessment
allows to recommend adaptation and mitigation strategies [67, 83, 84]. Linking
scenario planning to the WEF nexus allows the reflexivity, resilience, responsiveness, and revitalisation of adaption policies. Reflexivity refers to the ability
to continuously deal with a host of challenges as they come; resilience refers to
the capability to address and adapt to new environments in the midst of uncertainties; on the other hand, responsiveness refers to the capability to address
persistent demands and expectations; revitalisation is the reignition of policies
and ensures continuous application [14].
2. Rural livelihood transformation: Demand and competition for resources
have been increasing exponentially due to population growth and migration,
economic growth, international trade, urbanisation, diversifying diets, cultural
and technological changes, as well as climate variability and change [19]. These
societal megatrends are exerting pressure on already depleting natural resources,
threatening their sustainability going forward. The challenges have widened the
gap between rural and urban communities, particularly in developing countries
S. Liphadzi et al.
assessing the performance and progress of SDGs, policy framing, strategies for
climate change adaptation, livelihood transformation, project appraisal, governance
structures, among other applications. The approach assesses the effects of different
intervention scenarios in the development and management of resources for informed
planning by decision-makers. Applications of the WEF nexus analytical framework
are diverse and multi-scale, and they include:
1. Scenario planning: The impacts of future climate change are unpredictable,
and climate change projections are embedded with uncertainty, a situation
that complicates policy- and decision-making in the context of climate change
[37]. As a result, decision-makers prefer using scenario planning in policy
formulation for climate change, as it uses alternatives and response options
in climate change adaptation [17, 74]. As scenario planning uses the “what
if, how and when” criteria rather than a predictive approach which has lots of
uncertainty, the WEF nexus analytical framework comes in handy as it analyses
and assesses all possible intervention strategies and indicates whether intervention on any resource is sustainable or not, and how the intervention affects the
other resources [9, 60]. As climate change is a cross-cutting challenge, adaptation strategies and scenario planning should be formulated around the WEF
nexus framework to ensure that policies are evidence-based, well coordinated,
targeted, and coherent. Both the WEF nexus and scenario planning are recognised for their ability to not relying on or assigning likelihoods to future conditions; instead, they widen decision priorities for informed potential responses
[74]. Linking the WEF nexus and scenario planning provides pathways towards
flexible and reliable opportunities to upscale or downscale as informed by
prevailing challenges. Scenario planning methods include the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs), the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs),
and Representative Agricultural Pathways (RAPs). Scenario planning facilitates
an integrated analysis of both long-term and near-term modelling analyses of
events to understand and assess the degree of vulnerability. The assessment
allows to recommend adaptation and mitigation strategies [67, 83, 84]. Linking
scenario planning to the WEF nexus allows the reflexivity, resilience, responsiveness, and revitalisation of adaption policies. Reflexivity refers to the ability
to continuously deal with a host of challenges as they come; resilience refers to
the capability to address and adapt to new environments in the midst of uncertainties; on the other hand, responsiveness refers to the capability to address
persistent demands and expectations; revitalisation is the reignition of policies
and ensures continuous application [14].
2. Rural livelihood transformation: Demand and competition for resources
have been increasing exponentially due to population growth and migration,
economic growth, international trade, urbanisation, diversifying diets, cultural
and technological changes, as well as climate variability and change [19]. These
societal megatrends are exerting pressure on already depleting natural resources,
threatening their sustainability going forward. The challenges have widened the
gap between rural and urban communities, particularly in developing countries