Islands as laboratories of the Water–Energy Nexus.

Comparing Cuba, Cyprus and Gran Canaria reveals how rainfall, desalination and geopolitics shape water and energy security.

It is fascinating that around 9–10% of the world’s population lives on islands, roughly 800 million people.

Among these islands, we find both very large and very small ones.

But “big” or “small” can refer to either land area or population. After all, an island with a population density of 1,200 inhabitants per km² is completely different from one with only 100 inhabitants per km², even if they have a similar surface area.

Some of the world’s most famous islands include big ones such as Great Britain, Singapore, Japan, Australia, and many others, each with its own unique story.

A few days ago, I posted about the ongoing power blackouts in Cuba, driven by its dependence on imported fuel from Venezuela. That made me wonder why hydropower wasn’t playing a larger role in the country’s energy system.

Among the comments, someone simply replied, “Like Cyprus!”, referring to its dependence on imported fuels for electricity.

I started looking at the issue from different angles, and eventually decided to compare three very different islands: Cuba, Cyprus, and Gran Canaria.

My goal is to better understand how water management differs on relatively small islands compared with continental systems, and how factors such as rainfall, reservoirs, groundwater, desalination, tourism, energy, and geopolitics shape their water strategies.