The energy–carbon–water (ECW) nexus has aroused increasing attention worldwide, as it is very important for sustainable development of socioeconomic systems. Researchers conducted a literature review of existing studies on the ECW nexus in terms of concepts, research focuses, mechanisms, and methodologies. Current research on the ECW nexus mainly focuses on the ECW flow accounting, the impact assessment of ECW‐related policies or measures, and the description of the nexus characteristics. ECW‐related measures may lead to a variety of cobenefits: economic growth, pollutant reduction, water quality improvement, and the carbon–water trade‐off—that is, that the adoption of water‐saving cooling technologies (such as wet cooling) could increase energy use and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. ECW‐related measures could also lead to the deployment of some low‐carbon power generation technologies, such as hydro, nuclear, and biofuel that could increase power sector water use. Nexus mechanisms of existing studies are mainly aimed at a specific sector; fewer studies consider the mechanisms from an economy‐wide perspective. Integrated models, such as computable general equilibrium‐based models and input–output (IO)‐based hybrid life cycle assessment models, should be used to assess the broad socioeconomic impacts of ECW‐related measures in future, in order to inspire policymakers to design and implement effective measures for integrated ECW management.

中文翻译：

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能源-碳-水关系的回顾：概念，研究重点，机制和方法

能源－碳－水（ECW）关系在世界范围内引起了越来越多的关注，因为它对社会经济系统的可持续发展非常重要。研究人员从概念，研究重点，机制和方法等方面对有关ECW关系的现有研究进行了文献综述。当前对ECW关联的研究主要集中在ECW流量核算，与ECW相关的政策或措施的影响评估以及对关联特征的描述。与ECW相关的措施可能带来多种协同效益：经济增长，污染物减少，水质改善以及碳水权衡，也就是说，采用节水冷却技术（例如湿式冷却）可以增加能源消耗和二氧化碳（CO ₂）排放。与ECW有关的措施还可能导致部署一些低碳发电技术，例如水电，核电和生物燃料，这可能会增加电力部门的用水量。现有研究的联系机制主要针对特定​​部门；从整个经济的角度考虑这种机制的研究较少。应该使用集成模型，例如基于可计算的一般均衡模型和基于投入产出（IO）的混合生命周期评估模型，以评估ECW相关措施在未来的广泛社会经济影响，以激励决策者进行设计并采取有效措施进行ECW综合管理。