Dear Colleagues,

Over the decades, water resources are being intensively overexplored and polluted. The development and increasing demands of the population have also led to an increase in energy consumption. The consumption of both water and energy are linked, and these are the two key elements in the survival of humanity. Energy use in the water sector is growing, and this fact represents adverse impacts on the environment in terms of resource scarcity and climate change, affecting the sustainable development of modern societies.

Taking into account that energy may be used from the point of water abstraction to the point where water returns to the natural system, a combined approach addressing both energy and water will be crucial for improving the interrelationship between these two resources.

In fact, all urban water systems require energy, and it is very important to understand how these two vital resources are related to each other at each stage of the urban water cycle—abstraction, water treatment, end use, and wastewater treatment—in order to improve the efficiency of use and to help define the best management strategies for this cycle.

We particularly invite contributions concerning various aspects of the energy to water nexus in the urban water cycle, namely, studies of its relations as well as system optimization and best management strategies.

Dr. Cristina Matos
Guest Editor

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• energy to water nexus
• urban water cycle
• efficient use of water and energy
• urban system optimization
• sustainable systems