This review article positions water front-and-center as a key enabler of water–energy–food (WEF) nexus systems. It demonstrates the critical role of water in human civilization, progress, and development, including how water is central to the achievement of many of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals. It is suggested that water may in fact be the most important resource needed in a broader WEF nexus context, as well as in the broader scope of human development. The review shows the consequences of ‘water going wrong’ – when there is too much or too little, and the global impacts of increasing frequency of such events, largely due to an ever more ‘hyperconnected’ world. The review concludes by urging greater ‘nexus awareness’ and systems thinking, especially in policy and decision-making, while cautioning against the potentially ironic situation of returning to a sectoral, water-centric view of resources management.
