ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the key institutional and technological developments that effect California's water–energy nexus (WEN) management. California's WEN management, defined as such, has been at the forefront of policymaking at the state, regional, local and city level. A formidable challenge is presented by the tasks of developing innovative governance structures that best integrate interdisciplinary approaches for WEN policy action in a multidimensional, multi-stakeholder context. At the WEN, climate and environmental risks are most clear in shared resource systems interaction at the regional level. California implemented collaboration with NASA to use satellite observations from its Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment. Under climate stress, critical infrastructure at the WEN becomes vulnerable and in need of investment to enhance shared systems resilience. A major vulnerability in the WEN context is regional water supply needs and the impact of the recent drought to groundwater sources.
