Martianization, Extreme water stress faced by countries home to quarter of world population

 Twenty-five countries are using 80% of their water supplies each year, research shows

 

Twenty-five countries that are home to a quarter of the world’s population are facing extreme water stress, according to research.

Data from the World Resources Institute suggests these countries are regularly using 80% of their water supplies each year.

WRI’s Aqueduct water risk map reveals demand for water is increasing around the world and has more than doubled since 1960.

While demand for water has plateaued in Europe and the US, it is soaring in Africa. By 2050, water demand around the world is projected to increase by between 20% and 25%.

The 25 countries under the most water stress include Saudi Arabia Chile, San Marino, Belgium and Greece. The five facing the highest water stress are Bahrain, Cyprus, Kuwait, Lebanon and Oman.

 

By 2050 close to 60% of the world’s population could experience extremely high water stress at least one month a year

 Globally, about 4 billion people, or half the world’s population, are exposed to extremely high water stress at least one month a year, according to the Aqueduct analysis. By 2050 the number could be closer to 60%.

“Living with this level of water stress jeopardises people’s lives, jobs, food and energy security. Water is central to growing crops and raising livestock, producing electricity, maintaining human health, fostering equitable societies and meeting the world’s climate goals. Without better water management, population growth, economic development and climate change are poised to worsen water stress,” the report’s authors say.

According to data from Aqueduct, 31% of global GDP – worth $70tn – will be exposed to high water stress by 2050, up from 24% ($15tn) in 2010. Four countries – India, Mexico, Egypt and Turkey – will account for more than half of the exposed GDP in 2050.

The water risk research says increased water stress threatens countries’ economic growth. It also affects food production. The research says 60% of the world’s irrigated agriculture faces extremely high water stress, particularly sugarcane, wheat, rice and maize. By 2050 the world will need to produce 56% more food calories than in 2010 to feed a projected 10 billion people.

In India, a lack of water to cool thermal power plants between 2017 and 2021 resulted in 8.2 terawatt-hours in lost energy– enough electricity to power 1.5m Indian households for five years.

The report says interventions can stop water stress leading to water crises. Singapore and Las Vegas have been able to thrive even under the most water-scarce conditions, the report notes. Authorities there have saved water using desalination and other techniques such as wastewater treatment and reuse.

Political will is needed to introduce water efficiency and reduce water stress, the report’s authors argue.

The 25 most water stressed countries are: Bahrain, Cyprus, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Botswana, Iran, Jordan, Chile, San Marino, Belgium, Greece, Tunisia, Namibia, South Africa, Iraq, India and Syria.

UK homes install ‘record number’ of solar panels and heat pumps

TheGuardian - Head of industry standards body says more people are turning to renewable technology as energy costs grow

 Solar panels on a narrowboat in Henley-on-Thames. An average of 20,000 households installed solar panels every month this year. Photograph: Geoffrey Swaine/Shutterstock

 

British households are making more green energy upgrades than ever before after installing a record number of solar panels and heat pumps in the first half of the year, according to the industry’s official standards body.

The industry figures show there were more green energy installations in June alone than in any six-month period in previous years.

On average, more than 20,000 households installed solar panels every month this year, while the number of homes installing heat pumps reached 3,000 a month for the first time, according to the data.

Each month of 2023 was a record month for battery technologies, as installation figures consistently surpassed the month before, bringing the total number of batteries installed in homes and businesses across the UK to more than 1,000 in 2023 so far.

The industry’s accreditation body, MCS, said the green energy boom has put households on track to install more renewable energy than the last record set in 2012, when many raced to install solar panels before government subsidies were reduced.

Ian Rippin, the chief executive of MCS, said: “As the cost of energy continues to grow, we are seeing more people turn to renewable technology to generate their own energy and heat at home.”

Small-scale renewable energy installations at homes and businesses across the UK now have a total capacity of 4 gigawatts (GW), greater than the nuclear power plant under construction at Hinkley Point and almost double the capacity of Europe’s biggest gas power plant near Pembroke in Wales.

“We need to continue to push this expansion to meet our shared national ambitions to reach net zero by 2050. More consumers have the confidence to invest in small-scale renewables now than ever, but we have to make that transition even easier,” Rippin said.

The UK government has set targets to reach 70GW of solar capacity by 2035 and to install 600,000 heat pumps a year by 2028. But the uptake of heat pumps has fallen far short of the government’s aim, despite £5,000 grants to reduce the cost of replacing an old gas boiler.

In total there were 17,920 heat pump installations in the first six months of 2023, according to MCS data, meaning that if the same pace continued over the second half of the year, heat pump installations would reach just 6% of the government’s target.

Bean Beanland, the director of external affairs at the Heat Pump Federation, said there was “a tremendous job of work to do” to ensure that heat pump technology becomes mainstream over the remainder of this decade.

The accreditation body believes that one of the biggest barriers to the government’s heat pump ambitions is the need to recruit enough qualified, skilled installers to meet the demand for trustworthy advice and installations.

There are 1,500 heat pump installation companies certified in the UK, but an estimated 50,000 workers will be needed to meet government targets. So far this year, more than 850 new contractors have become MCS certified, more than the number who signed up during the whole of 2022.

Beanland added: “It is essential that the lowest-carbon heat becomes the lowest-cost heat, so that homeowners and landlords can justify the transition away from polluting fossil fuels. If this is coupled to a genuine affordability and future funding package, then households will be able to contribute to climate change mitigation with confidence and at a cost that is fair to all.”

 

Nytimes link: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/08/12/climate/wind-solar-clean-energy.html

 

 

Martianization, Moradores do Havaí se jogaram no mar para fugir do fogo, diz Guarda Costeira dos EUA

 Death toll from Hawaii wildfires increases to 55 as search for survivors continues

 At least 67 people have been killed in the deadliest disaster in the state’s history, as questions are asked about the local warning system

 

Ao menos 12 pessoas foram resgatadas das águas pela Guarda Costeira; incêndios que atingiram ilhas do arquipélago provocaram grande destruição, com relatos de horror da população

População relatou cenas de terror devido ao incêndio; muitas se jogaram no mar para fugir do fogo Zeke Kalua County of Maui

 Um cenário de horror dominou a ilha de Maui, no Havaí, com os fortes incêndios que atingiram a região nesta quarta-feira (09). Alguns moradores chegaram a pular no mar para fugir do fogo que avançava rapidamente, destruindo casas e carros por onde passava. A fumaça também cobria a região, provocando mais ameaças às vidas da população.

A Guarda Costeira dos EUA (USCG, na sigla em inglês) precisou ir à água para resgatar os moradores, segundo informações de um comunicado de imprensa do condado de Maui. A Cruz Vermelha Americana abriu um centro de evacuação em Maui High School, disse o condado.

Ao menos 12 pessoas foram resgatadas por uma embarcação da Guarda Costeira nas proximidades de Lahaina, em Maui. “O USCG continua a resposta conjunta com parceiros federais e estaduais, enquanto o USCG Cutter Kimball está a caminho de Maui para intensificar os esforços”, informou a Guarda Costeira, pelas redes sociais.

Os incêndios florestais em Maui se espalharam tão rapidamente que muitas pessoas não tiveram tempo de se preparar, de acordo com o relato angustiante de um morador que testemunhou os momentos em que o fogo varreu sua cidade.

Claire Kent disse que sua casa em Lahaina foi incendiada no inferno em movimento rápido.

“Aconteceu tão rápido”, disse ela, descrevendo como o dia começou como qualquer outro. Kent disse que estava fora do trabalho por causa dos ventos fortes do furacão Dora. Ela trabalha em um barco no porto e todas as viagens foram canceladas por causa do clima.

“Ouvi as primeiras explosões dos postos de gasolina explodindo e depois vi a fumaça preta a algumas ruas de distância e, em meia hora, estávamos fora de casa”, disse Kent. “Estava na casa de uma amiga. Eu nem fui para casa, não tinha nada comigo.”

Ela disse que em uma hora os incêndios haviam se espalhado até o final do bairro. Foi quando ela percebeu que eles não seriam capazes de voltar.

“Há chamas em ambos os lados da estrada – como algo saído de um filme de terror”, disse Kent, descrevendo a cena enquanto os carros trabalhavam para evacuar.

Ela disse que, devido ao serviço de celular irregular, os avisos de evacuação foram entregues por “pessoas correndo pela rua”.

“Havia caras andando de bicicleta gritando para as pessoas irem embora”, disse Kent.

Algumas pessoas, no entanto, não conseguiram sair. Ela descreveu as chamas se movendo rapidamente, envolvendo algumas áreas em questão de meia hora. Algumas pessoas estavam pulando na água para fugir do fogo, disse ela.

“Tudo se foi”, disse ela. “É a história de Lahaina que é tão devastadora.”

(Publicado por Fábio Mendes)

Sobe para 36 o número de mortos em incêndios no Havai

Floods, Fires and Torrential Rains Further Bedevil Europe

The extreme weather across the continent this summer has destroyed huge amounts of land, forced many to evacuate, and in some cases caused deaths.

Dropping water over a fire in Apesia, southern Cyprus, on Monday.Credit...Philippos Christou/Associated Press

By Emma Bubola Aug. 8, 2023 

Floods, fires and heavy rains have landed more blows across Europe this week, with the authorities on the continent scrambling to respond to the extreme weather that has become increasingly common in the past few years. 

The most recent events have destroyed large amounts of land, left dozens of people injured, forced thousands to evacuate and, in some cases, caused deaths, and they come on the heels of scorching temperatures that have engulfed much of Southern Europe this summer. 

Climate change has made extreme heat a fixture of the warmer months in Europe, but experts say that the continent has failed to significantly adapt to the hotter conditions. Governments in many countries are now struggling to address the devastating effects. 

“The extreme weather conditions across Europe continue to be of concern,” Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament, wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. “The EU is showing solidarity with all those in need.”

Deadly Floods in Slovenia Heavy rains in recent days have led rivers to overflow across Slovenia in what the authorities there said was the worst natural disaster since the country’s independence in 1991. 

At least six people have died, according to the Slovenian news agency STA, and thousands have been forced to flee their homes to escape the floods. Several countries have tried to help, with France and Germany sending equipment such as prefabricated bridges, and even Ukraine, in the middle of a war with Russia, promising to send a helicopter. A flooded area in the northern Slovenian town of Crna na Koroskem on Sunday.

Entire villages have been left underwater, and huge rivers of mud have filled roads and sports fields and flowed below collapsed bridges, with cars stuck in the debris of landslides caused by the flooding. Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission, the European Union’s executive arm, said she would travel to Slovenia on Wednesday. Floods have also been reported in Austria, Slovenia’s northern neighbor, killing at least one person, according to the Austrian chancellor, Karl Nehammer.

Wildfires in Cyprus, Italy and Portugal Hundreds of firefighters were continuing to battle rural wildfires in Portugal on Tuesday. The blazes have prompted the evacuation of more than a thousand locals and tourists, and several firefighters have been injured while tackling the flames. The risk of fire in the past few days was at the highest level in large parts of the country, with strong winds and temperatures above 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Portugal has struggled with wildfires various times in recent years. Blazes killed more than 60 people in 2017.

A tractor cleaning up land during a wildfire in Aljezur, Portugal, on Monday.Credit...Pedro Nunes/Reuters 

Elsewhere, the European Union has sent firefighting planes to assist with efforts to tackle wildfires burning on Cyprus in recent days; Greece, which has also been plagued by wildfires this summer, has sent liquid flame retardant to the island to help. Israel has also provided aid, including firefighting planes, a crew of four pilots and ground crews. Jordan and Lebanon also sent support. Hundreds of people have also been evacuated on the Italian island of Sardinia, a popular tourism destination, after fires burned across large areas in recent days. 

Torrents in Norway and Sweden Heavy rains have been recorded in the two Nordic countries this month, causing the derailment of a train on Monday that left three people injured in eastern Sweden. The police said that the deluge had undermined the embankment where the accident occurred, causing it to collapse. More downpours were expected in both countries in the coming days. 

The Swedish meteorological and hydrological institute said that the amounts of rain that have fallen were unusually high for August in many locations. “Quite a few places have received more rain in one day than you normally get in the entire month of August,” said Ida Dahlstrom, a meteorologist with the Swedish meteorological institute. She added that the city of Lund, in Southern Sweden, had not received so much rain in one day for more than 160 years. 

The institute issued red alerts — the highest level of flood warning — for some areas of Sweden on Monday night and said that copious amounts of rain forecast in the south of the country could send water in streams and ditches to extremely high levels. The stormy weather has heralded not only heavy rain but also uncharacteristically high temperatures, with the town of Haparanda, in northern Sweden, reaching a balmy 86 on Tuesday, its highest temperature for August since 1969.

A stream overflowed its banks on Tuesday in Gran, Norway. Credit...Stian Lysberg Solum/NTB Scanpix, via Associated Press Christina Anderson contributed reporting. Emma Bubola is a reporter based in London. More about Emma Bubola - Nytimes.com

Heat Is Costing the U.S. Economy Billions in Lost Productivity

From meatpackers to home health aides, workers are struggling in sweltering temperatures and productivity is taking a hit.

By Coral Davenport July 31, 2023, 3:00 a.m. ET As much of the United States swelters under record heat, Amazon drivers and warehouse workers have gone on strike in part to protest working conditions that can exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit. On triple-digit days in Orlando, utility crews are postponing checks for gas leaks, since digging outdoors dressed in heavy safety gear could endanger their lives. Even in Michigan, on the nation’s northern border, construction crews are working shortened days because of heat Link to Nytimes -

Drought leaves millions in Uruguay without tap water fit for drinking

 

After years of underinvestment, reservoir has had to be topped up from estuary, raising health concerns

 A dried-up reservoir in Uruguay in March. Photograph: Pablo Porciuncula/AFP/Getty Images

 

More than half of Uruguay’s 3.5 million citizens are without access to tap water fit for drinking, and experts say the situation could continue for months.

Some had predicted the crisis years ago when pointing out the vulnerability of the single reservoir supplying water to the metropolitan area around the capital, Montevideo.

By Latin American standards, Uruguay is a high-income country and it has historically thought of itself as having abundant water resources. Those who warned of diminishing supplies were considered catastrophists and investment was postponed.

Three consecutive years of drought have almost emptied the reservoir of fresh water, and to avoid shortages the state-run water supplier, OSE, has since the beginning of the year been gradually adding brackish water from the Rio de la Plata estuary.

By early May the mix had reached the maximum levels of sodium and chlorides recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), and now it has double those levels, giving the water a repulsive taste and raising questions about potential effects on health.

Authorities maintain that the chemicals only affect the taste and smell of the water and do not necessarily pose a risk to most people’s health.

Some vulnerable groups such as babies, pregnant women and people with health conditions have been warned against drinking the water but there have been conflicting claims about its safety for the broader population.

 A protester holds a sign that reads ‘For water, for life’ in Montevideo in May. Photograph: Santiago Mazzarovich/AP

 

Álvaro Mombrú, the dean of the chemistry faculty at the Universidad de la República, said he would not recommend its consumption at present, while his colleague Arturo Briva, the dean of the medicine faculty, said the water was still considered safe but warned that “as levels rise and time of exposure increases, some repercussions may appear”.

Experts have advised taking shorter showers, and there have been increased reports of damage to water heaters.

A poll in May found that roughly half of people in the area affected had reduced their consumption of tap water and 35% had stopped drinking it completely.

The government has exempted bottled water from taxes and announced it would provide free bottled water to more than 500,000 people.

Mario Bidegain, a meteorologist, said calculating the amount of rain needed to bring the situation back to normal was a difficult task. If there are heavy rains as expected by early September, authorities will still have to decide whether to reduce the sodium and chloride levels back to normal or keep some kind of mix to preserve supplies in case the drought continues. “We will probably come out of this slowly,” Bidegain said.

Mais de 61 mil pessoas morreram de calor na Europa no verão de 2022, diz estudo...

  Levantamento publicado na Nature Medicine prevê ainda 94 mil mortes caso países europeus não tomem medidas para conter mudanças climáticas. Estação registrou recordes históricos de temperatura e queimadas no continente no ano passado. 

 Por France Presse

10/07/2023 13h31

Mais de 61 mil pessoas morreram de calor na Europa durante o verão de 2022 no Hemisfério Norte, de acordo com um estudo publicado nesta segunda-feira (10) pela revista científica Nature Medicine.

Sem medidas adequadas, o continente poderá enfrentar mais de 94 mil mortes por ondas de calor em 2040, segundo o estudo, elaborado por cientistas de um instituto de saúde francês e do Instituto de Saúde Global de Barcelona (ISGlobal). 

O verão de 2022 foi o mais quente registrado até hoje na Europa, com sucessivas ondas de calor que causaram recordes de temperatura, seca e incêndios florestais.

Os cientistas analisaram dados de temperatura e mortalidade para o período 2015-2022 em 823 regiões de 35 países europeus, com uma população total de mais de 543 milhões de pessoas. 

Com base nesses dados, construíram modelos epidemiológicos que permitem prever a mortalidade atribuível às temperaturas para cada região e semana do período de verão do ano passado, que no Hemisfério Norte é entre fim de junho e fim de setembro.

No total, a análise revela que, entre 30 de maio e 4 de setembro de 2022, ocorreram 61.672 mortes atribuíveis ao calor na Europa.

Só uma onda de calor particularmente intensa, entre 18 e 24 de julho, causou 11.637 mortes.

"É um número de mortes muito alto", disse à AFP Hicham Achebak, pesquisador do Inserm e participante do estudo.

"Já sabíamos dos efeitos do calor na mortalidade desde o precedente de 2003, mas com esta análise fica claro que ainda há muito trabalho a ser feito para proteger a população", acrescentou.

O índice de mortalidade no verão de 2003, quando a Europa sofreu uma das piores ondas de calor de sua história, ultrapassou a cifra de 70.000 mortes.