Food
Energy
Too Much
Pursuing
the
Optimal
Inequality/Inequity
Too Little
Maureen McCue MD PhD
Global Health Studies
Center Human Rights
International Programs
University of Iowa
Existing
Environmental
Threats
But….
There are many
ways of valuing,
wasting, or
polluting it, and
making it
dangerous!
Global Water Basics
• Earth’s Supply: 97.5 % is salt, 2.5% is fresh. Of that ~70% is locked in glacial ice, 30% in soil. <1 %
(.007 % of global H2O) readily accessible for human use.
• Necessity: A person can survive >a month w/out food; max 5-7days w/out H2O.
• Inequity: 1.1 billion lack access to potable H20; 2.6 b. lack basic sanitation.
• Mortality: 6,000 children die ea. day from preventable water-related diseases.
• Fragility: 1 drop of oil can make up to 6.6 gallons of H2O undrinkable.
• Aver. World H2O Use: for agriculture 70%; for industry 22%; domestic 8%.
Poor countries:
82%
10%
8%
Wealthy nations:
30 %
59%
11%
• Water footprint (aka virtual H2O): H2O used in production &/or growth of product.
• Exs H2O footprint: 1 kg (2.2 lbs) beef = 4,226.8 gals; sheet of paper = 2.6 gals; 1 c. tea = 9.2 gals; microchip
= 8.5 gals.
• Inequality: Aver. U.S./capita H20 use (60% lawns & washing cars) = 30.3 x that of a poor person
who lacks access to potable water
Change Climate = Changing Water
Everything’s Going Up!
• Aver. US precipitation ↑since 1900. Winter & spring precipitation (snow, rain, hail,
and flooding) in the Northern US, but, more drought for the Southwest.
• Heavy downpours & heat waves both more frequent & intense, esp in the West.
Heat waves propel water loss due to both increased run off and evaporation.
• Intensity, frequency, duration of North Atlantic hurricanes, including the
strongest (Category 4 & 5) ↑’d since early 1980s.
• Global sea level up ~ 8” since reliable record keeping began in 1880--projected to rise
another 1 to 4 ft by 2100.
• Oceans currently absorbing about ¼ of the CO2 emitted to the atmosphere
annually & are becoming more acidic as a result, leading to concerns about intensifying
impacts on marine ecosystems.
Food Production,
Sewage
Climate Water Disasters: Many Shades
Inequality
Energy Production
World Up Against Water Limits
“Water Crises” = Planet’s Top Most Urgent Societal Risk*
Global water quality & supply already imperiled, now exacerbated by climate change
= serious threat to people’s health, environment, economy, & political stability.
• World Population Growth, ↑ Demand for Energy & Food;
• Global Use of H2O Predicted ↑by 40% over the next two decades, ie., water = a hot
commodity, business opportunity!
• Providing secure stores of fresh water & producing adequate supplies of energy &
food confound all nations.
• Confrontations emerging where growth is highest & water resources under the
most stress—from China to California, Syria to the Southwest, the Rocky Mountain
West, and the Sahara to the Southeast.
• Bottom Line: there are not enough fresh water reserves to mine, process, &
consume, in pursuit of the cities, lifestyles, health & manufacturing centers too
many envision for the future.
*The World Economic Forum Global Risks Report 2015
Exacerbating Climate Water Stress/Scarcity
Rising temperatures lead to ↑ demand for water
& energy, exacerbate extant risks:
• Natural Geographic Differences
• Rapid Population Growth, Urban Sprawl, ↑d Land
needed for Food Cultivation, Deforestation
• Heavy Industry & Extreme Energy Production,
Extractive Industries, Mining, Logging, and waste
water production from all of above
• Wealth/Poverty (inequality) Gap: even where
resources are plentiful, millions of people lack access
to clean water & infrastructure.
NOTE
In Our Hydrologically Unstable/Unequal World
Water = A Vehicle for Death & Disease
• Too much water = reduced food production, injuries, changed
distribution/exposure chemical & infectious agents of disease.
Major killers (cholera & diarrheal dxs: infections carried by vectors) are all
highly sensitive to temp & rainfall.
• Too little water = reduced food production, desertification/sand
storms, forest fires, reduced hygiene options, even causing suffering
from skin & other diseases (Ex: scabies & eye infections such as trachoma, the
largest cause of preventable blindness in the developing world)
World Water Out of Balance
And off the Rails Here, There, Everywhere
↑Dangerous Storms,
Storm Surges, Flooding,
Drought Induced Threats!
AP
Infectious Disease Control &
Injury Prevention Challenged
• Downpours trigger landslides, destroy infrastructure,
contaminate ground water, drive waste & sewage overflows, &
rodents from burrows;
• Droughts bring sand storms - Valley Fever in U.S. West
• Climate change ↑s the range, seasonality, & infectivity of
water & vector borne diseases by creating new breeding grounds
for disease carrying mosquitoes (dengue fever, West Nile virus,
chikunguna, many others TNTC!) Note: Malaria mosquitoes now
tagged as indicators of pervasive climate change.
• Already, 1/2 world’s hospital beds occupied by patients
suffering from a water-related disease
• Drought Monitor Update
September 8, 2015:
Moderate to exceptional
drought covers 31.7% of
the contiguous U.S.
• Climate projections show
more frequent summer
droughts in heavy
farming areas.
Drought, Pick Your Poison
Drought-stressed crops are susceptible to toxins & contaminants:
• Water-soluble fertilizers concentrate in soils & plants
• Nitrogen fertilizer not sucked up by plants eventually washes into streams and lakes
• Nitrate - at high levels results in methemoglobinemia or blue baby syndrome
(infants) & digestive tract cancers, sometimes death in animals,
• Several fungi, or molds, grow on/contaminate drought-stressed corn,
peanuts, cottonseed, pecans and grain sorghum producing byproducts toxic
to animals & humans, esp. Aflatoxin
• Cattle poisoned by cyanide-laced weeds
What’s in the Flood Water?
• Pesticides
• Metals
• Nutrients
• Nitrogen
• Phosphorus
• Volatiles
• Fuels
• Fecal Material
• Pathogenic Bacteria
(e.coli)
• Parasites
• Enteric viruses
Complicated
Picture:
Climate Change
Water Health
Exacerbated
By….
Global
Waterways
Imperiled
By
Petroleum,
Agriculture,
Industry
These
Waterways:
New Orleans
Taiwan
Iowa
Fossil Fuels/ Extractive Industries Use/Pollute Water
in all stages of operation
Fresh water needed for mining, processing,
consuming coal & other minerals = largest
share of industrial water use and pollution
U.S. Mountain
Top Removal
Alberta, Canada
Tar Sands.
Daqing Shan mine, China
Stretching miles in every direction these mines remind
us of modern life styles’ inherent destructiveness.
Unsustainable Industrial/Extractive Practices
Drive/Exacerbate Climate Water/Ill Health
Water: mining's most common casualty”
Acid mine drainage, from mining target
ores (coal, gold, silver, copper, etc) is a
most serious threat to water. A mine
draining acid can devastate rivers,
streams, and aquatic life for hundreds,
and under the "right" conditions,
thousands of years.
Unequal Risks Differential Impacts
Environmental Pollution/Climate Change
• World at Risk, but not everyone equally exposed or at equal risk; those contributing
least = most affected
• On average, 3.3 x more people die/reported disaster in countries or regions w/
high rates poverty, low human development indicators than those w/ high
development or greater equality
• Race/poverty/minority status are predictors of living in unsafe conditions w/
numerous environmental risks; daily exposure to air & water pollution/ozone high
in these communities
• Extreme storms, ↑d pollution, sewage/wastewater especially problematic for
impoverished communities - industrial areas w/ multiple sources of pollution
located in or near such communities;
• One shock after another, even if each is fairly small, can push poor people &
communities into a downward spiral of destitution… Or, lead to violent conflict
The Changing Climate: Unequal Health Threats
Health Stressors Interact:
Think Hurricanes Katrina & Sandy
Which Communities Were Most Impacted?
Which Took longest to recover? Why?
Chronic
Psychosocial
Stress
Poorer people, those already under multiple stresses
are more susceptible to a given level of storm related
destruction
Proximity to
Sources of
Environmental
Hazards
Multiple &
Cumulative
(non)
Environmental
Burdens
[Environmental]
Health
Disparities
?
Diminished
Capacity to
Participate in
DecisionMaking
Physical
Infrastructure
Meat & Dairy: Toxic Appetite for H20
Billions of lbs/yr from billions of animals requires/pollutes large amts
H2O, & takes a toll on human health, climate & animal welfare.
• Large amts fuel & feed inputs which in turn require vast amounts of
water to produce, then to clean toxic manure & wastewater
afterwards (Note: 60% Iowa’s waters imperiled due to manure)
• Each step in meat production generates GHGs: 18% of total.
Methane, pesticides, chemical fertilizers, NO2, heavy machinery
• High red meat consumption linked to ↑ rates
human disease: → deaths 11% ♂/16% ♀
Meat: More Climate/Water/Health Impacts
• Pollutes groundwater, rivers, streams & the ocean: adversely
affecting riparian habitats, biodiversity globally
• Ranching drives soil compaction, erosion, deforestation, &
thus promotes climate change
• 75% of antibiotics excreted in animal waste
• ?? Ethics of inhumanity to sentient beings
Summer: time to pack up and head to the
lake for swimming, boating, and fishing?
Not!
Diet Consequence On Lakes:
Cyanobacteria
Heavy rainfall in the Midwest farming regions wash vast
volumes of agricultural pollution into rivers, lakes, where
it’s fueled poisonous blooms that sicken and disgust
residents & tourists, even kill family pets.
(Photos by Peg McAloon)
Algae bloom on Wisconsin’s Lake Tainter.
The Smell Alone Causes Headaches &
Respiratory Distress.
Algae Blooms:
Widespread Health Threats
Sources:
Waste Water
Sewage
Chemical Fertilizer
Manure
Threat Multiplier:
Changing
Heat
Drought
Flood
Not just Lakes & Rivers:
The Guck Stops at the Gulf
Red pins in a state mean harmful algal blooms recur
annually in "many" lakes; orange pins mean recurrance
in 1 or 2 lakes. Most do not have a toxic hotline to report
suspected blooms
Every year, the Mississippi carries huge
amts Nitrogen to the Gulf of Mexico
• Nitrogen feeds a vast algae bloom
creating aquatic dead zone reaching
the size of New Jersey, blotting out
a source of high-quality seafood
• More than ½ N comes from corn &
soy farms, growing crops to feed
livestock, cars, industrial-cooking
fats, & sweetners—contributing to
climate change and poor health.
Despite Everything, Public Health Effects of Climate
Change Remain Unaddressed Globally
Even though:
• Climate Change is Happening
• Costs of inaction are high & rising!
• Prevention is Key to advancing:
• Public Health & Safety
• Preparedness & Response
• Community Resiliency & Recovery
Modern Societies can Adapt to become More
Resilient, Healthy & Secure!
Required: Political Will Move ►
mitigation/adaptation
Time to Rethink Everything!
The greatest challenge facing
health & water sustainability is
realizing that everything is
interconnected (directly or
indirectly) in almost every major
modern human industry &
activity
Promote Real Homeland Security:
Disaster Mitigation / Adaptation Planning
For Improved Climate Health and Security, we need:
• Better Surveillance, Monitoring, Prediction, Warning, &
Climate/Disaster Response Plans
Ex: Municipal Heat Wave Response Plans
• Society wide adaptations - From Agriculture to Building Codes;
Household Preparedness, Urban Planning; Alternative Energy
Systems, Afforestation, Floodplain Zoning, Building
Embankments, Restoration of Wetlands. All must be adapted to
provide protection from storms, flooding, possible heat waves.
Pre-emptive Medicine: Justice, Climate Resilient Communities,
Infrastructure & Development!
• Speak Out! Doctors, Nurses, Health Professionals are
respected community leaders whose voices carry weight
• Form Coalitions. Work for Public Policy Changes to address
both evolving problems & existing inequities:
• Business, Architecture, Engineers, Politicians, Outdoor Sports
enthusiasts, others.
• Appoint or elect watchdog "environmental guardians" at all
levels of health infrastructure and governmental agencies.
• Join International Coalitions to develop interventions,
mitigation, adaption and reparations
Conclusions
• Climate change makes it even more important to combat diseases of the poor,
many of which are highly climate-sensitive
• As responsible global citizens, we must do our utmost to not only improve quality
and cost of health care, but reduce suffering and avoidable need for care by
attending to conditions & determinants that produce poor health.
• Now is the time to work together to solve the inequities of historic & current levels
of inequality, poverty, racism and pollution to effectively address, minimize, and halt
evolving climate and water health threats.
• Without attention to the health costs and environmental impacts of current social &
economic arrangements, water related health outcomes for all members of society
will not be resolved and can only be expected to worsen.
• If nothing else, remember: what goes around comes around--doing nothing is not an
option!
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Selected Resources
• Brian Bienkowski. 2012 drought: Pick you Poison. The Daily Climate. 10/1/12.
• Menno Bourna. Science Mar. 2014
• Paul Parham, J Waldock, G Christophides and E Michael, eds. Climate change and vectorborne diseases of humans. Royal Society. Vol: 370 No. 1678 Sept 2015
• Keith Schneider. Circle of Blue Reports. Global Choke Point Project
• EM-DAT The International Disaster Database. The Human Cost of Natural Disasters: A Global
Perspective. 2015.
• Grist: Toxic Algae Slide Show 2012 by Resource Media
• World Economic Forum Global Risks Report 2015