Climate uncertainty and food security in the APEC region: an analysis of water-renewable energy-food nexus

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of climatic uncertainty on food security across 20 countries that are members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), focusing on the moderation of the water-renewable energy moderation. Design/methodology/approach The study made use of panel data for the period 2000–2023. We engaged the data obtained from the World Bank, FAOSTAT and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals report. The study applied the bias-corrected dynamic panel estimator, the method of moments quantile regression and the two-step system generalised method of moments (2-Step GMM). Findings Results show that renewable energy consumption exerts a negative impact, particularly in developing APEC economies, suggesting trade-offs between resource allocation for energy and agriculture. On the other hand, water availability showed mixed impact, significant only when interacting with climate stressors. Research limitations/implications This study's limitations include potential measurement errors from secondary datasets, unobserved country-specific factors not fully captured and limited generalisability beyond APEC economies. Climate and resource interactions are complex, and model specifications may not account for all feedback loops. Future work could integrate higher-frequency data and sector-specific analyses for deeper insights. Originality/value This study expands the frontiers of knowledge by incorporating climate uncertainty, renewable energy and water availability within the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus across 20 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation economies. Using advanced econometric methods, the study unveils cross-sectoral trade-offs and interactions impacting food security. This multidimensional method extends the literature on climate resilience and supports integrated, workable policy frameworks for the APEC economies.