Drought, health, and resilience: Protecting communities in a changing climate. Key takeaways from the UCT-UCR seminar
By Senani Mamba | WPE
This week's UCT-UCR Seminar Series, "Water and Health," welcomed Prof. Jesse E. Bell, the Claire M. Hubbard Professor of Water, Climate, and Health in the Department of Environmental, Agricultural, and Occupational Health and Director of the Water, Climate and Health Program, both at in the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), United States. He presented on how cutting-edge science, community engagement, and public health policy are improving drought preparedness and protecting communities worldwide.
The discussion explored the relationship between droughts and health outcomes, highlighting a critical gap in environmental management studies: While the physical effects of drought (such as reduced crop yields) are well documented, the impacts on human health are often overlooked.
Key takeaways:
- In establishing the link between droughts and health, there are climate drivers (including increasing temperatures), institutional context, social and behavioural context, and exposure pathways that need to be clearly defined and understood to estimate the influence on health outcomes.
- The urgency of paying attention to the effects of drought by government should be prompt, as losses from drought in the US accounted for USD 40 billion, deaths occurring from natural disasters, especially from drought, accounted for 42%, when compared with other natural disasters, this was the largest share, as earthquakes accounted for 27%, storms 18%, floods 7%, and extreme temperatures 5%.
- Populations that are greatly affected by drought include women and children, as well as rural populations and farm workers.
Discussion from the floor included how studies could separate the effects of poor access to healthcare infrastructure from drought effects, especially in the African context, to estimate the real impact of drought on health. Prof. Jesse responded that this should be included in future studies. To conclude the session, Jesse highlighted lessons from his own work and offered ways forward, noting that drought effects linger for years after they occur, and advocated for investments in early warning systems, resilient infrastructure, and working with health workers to understand the impact of drought on health.
This presentation is part of the UCT-UCR Seminar Series: Water Economics and Politics, a joint initiative between the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the University of California, Riverside (UCR). About this presentation: Drought, health, and resilience: Protecting communities in a changing climate.