Climate Change & Water Health Challenges

Toxic Intersections:FoodEnergyInequality/Inequity

Driving & Exacerbated byClimate & Water Disasters

Maureen McCue MD PhDGlobal Health StudiesCenter Human RightsInternational ProgramsUniversity of Iowa

Water Climate

Health

Too Little

Too Much

Pursuingthe

OptimalExisting

EnvironmentalThreats

WATER IS LIFE!There is no Substitute for Water

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 WaterEverything’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.

Climate Water Disasters: Many Shades

Inequality

Food Production,Sewage

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/ScarcityRising 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)

AP

World Water Out of Balance And off the Rails Here, There, Everywhere

↑Dangerous Storms,Storm Surges, Flooding,

Drought Induced Threats!

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

Climate Change = More Drought

• 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

ComplicatedPicture:

Climate ChangeWater HealthExacerbated

By….

GlobalWaterway

sImperiled

ByPetroleum

, Agricultur

e,IndustryThese

Waterways:New Orleans

TaiwanIowa

Fossil Fuels/ Extractive Industries Use/Pollute Water

in all stages of operationFresh water needed for mining, processing, consuming coal & other minerals = largest share of industrial water use and pollution

Daqing Shan mine, China

U.S. Mountain Top Removal

Alberta, Canada Tar Sands.

Stretching miles in every direction these mines remind us of modern life styles’ inherent destructiveness.

Perpetual PollutionWater: 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.

Unsustainable Industrial/Extractive PracticesDrive/Exacerbate Climate Water/Ill Health

Unequal Risks Differential ImpactsEnvironmental 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

Think Hurricanes Katrina & SandyWhich Communities Were Most Impacted? Which Took longest to recover? Why?

Chronic Psychosocial

Stress

Multiple & Cumulative

(non) Environmental

Burdens

Physical Infrastructure

Diminished Capacity to

Participate in Decision-Making

Proximity to Sources of

Environmental Hazards [Environmental]

Health Disparities

Health Stressors Interact:

The Changing Climate: Unequal Health Threats

?

Poorer people, those already under multiple stresses are more susceptible to a given level of storm related destruction

Meat & Dairy: Toxic Appetite for H20Billions 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

Diet Consequence On Lakes:

Cyanobacteria

Algae bloom on Wisconsin’s Lake Tainter. The Smell Alone Causes Headaches & Respiratory Distress.

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.

Summer: time to pack up and head to the lake for swimming, boating, and fishing?

Not!

(Photos by Peg McAloon)

Algae Blooms: Widespread Health Threats

Sources:Waste WaterSewageChemical FertilizerManureThreat Multiplier: ChangingHeat DroughtFlood

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 GloballyEven 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 MoreResilient, 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 PlanningFor Improved Climate Health and Security, we need:• Better Surveillance, Monitoring, Prediction, Warning, &

Climate/Disaster Response PlansEx: 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!

What Else Can Health Care Providers Do??• 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!29

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 vector-

borne 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