Water, energy, and food are primary resources on which human life is dependent. This paper presents a review of the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus considering the environmental impacts generated by humans' reliance on water, energy, and food for their subsistence. Our review assesses the WEF with respect to the agricultural, industrial, and urban sectors and their use of water, energy, and food. The multi-sectorial assessment addresses options for improved management that avoids or mitigates adverse impacts in the agricultural, industrial, and urban sectors. Activities such as the use of fertilizers and pesticides in the agricultural sector, for instance, cause water, air, and soil pollution, which leads to social calamities and environmental degradation. Therefore, examining the effects of mismanagement in one sector on other sectors from the perspective of the WEF nexus is necessary for improved resource management and environmental protection. A literature review revealed that factors or practices of resources use influence sectors differently and with varying degrees of effectiveness in reducing the environmental damage caused by resources use. Improved social awareness on resource consumption, the use of renewable energy, improved energy efficiency, the reduction of food waste, improved animal husbandry, and other factors involved in the WEF nexus are herein examined. This paper's analysis demonstrates that every action and manner of resource use in one sector also affects other sectors and their resources use, thus calling for a unified analysis of the WE nexus.

水，能源和食物是人类赖以生存的主要资源。本文介绍了水，能源，食物（WEF）的联系，其中考虑了人类赖以生存的水，能源和食物所产生的环境影响。我们的评估从农业，工业和城市部门及其对水，能源和粮食的使用方面评估了WEF。多部门评估解决了可以避免或减轻对农业，工业和城市部门的不利影响的改进管理的备选方案。例如，在农业部门使用化肥和杀虫剂等活动会导致水，空气和土壤污染，从而导致社会灾难和环境恶化。所以，从世界经济论坛的关系来看一个部门管理不善对其他部门的影响对于改善资源管理和环境保护是必要的。文献综述表明，资源使用的因素或实践对部门的影响不同，并且在减少资源使用造成的环境损害方面具有不同程度的有效性。本文考察了社会对资源消耗，可再生能源的使用，能源效率的提高，食品浪费的减少，畜牧业的改善以及与WEF关系有关的其他因素的认识。本文的分析表明，一个部门中资源使用的每种行为和方式也会影响其他部门及其资源使用，因此需要对WE关系进行统一分析。