Dirty Water: Mapping Projected Climate Change Impacts in the United States and Abroad
The recent United States Global Change Research Program report warned U.S. citizens of more frequent heat waves, greater disease risks, and damage to the marine life in this country, but we should not forget about the consequences abroad. Depending on emissions scenarios, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that the average global surface temperature will rise between 2.0 and 11.5 °F by the end of the century while the USGCRP expects the average U.S. temperature to increase by 4 to 11ºF by 2100. The United States and other countries face similar climate change consequences. For example, more frequent and intense downpours that cause flooding and water contamination are expected to become a major concern in Northeastern U.S. cities and Pacific Islands, as well as in the Middle East and the former Soviet Bloc.
Since many drainage systems and water treatment facilities are outdated in the Northeast, research suggests that New York, Chicago, Washington, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia are likely to be at a greater risk of water-borne diseases. Increased downpours that result from shifting weather patterns may also trigger contaminating sewage overflows in these cities, the USGCRP reports.
A World Bank report on climate change in Europe and Central Asia likewise forecasts greater risks of water contamination due to weak infrastructure in the former Soviet Bloc. If changing weather patterns increase flooding as forecasted, old toxic waste dumps may release dangerous substances into the water supply. As well, the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s most recent report projects that Middle Eastern coastal aquifers will be similarly overwhelmed and contaminated with salt water as sea levels rise around Lebanon. Increased flooding in the Pacific Islands, including Hawaii, may also foster water pollution and endanger drinking water quality, the USGCRP says.
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