'Water is life and clean water means health' - Audrey Hepburn

I believe it is vital to understand the connection between water, environmental change and social factors such as those mentioned in the Doughnut of Social and Planetary Boundaries (Raworth, 2017) to gain a wholistic understanding of key development issues and the problems facing the planet in order for sustainable solutions to be implemented. 

Considering my post on variability in Africa, I wanted to add further depth regarding the connection between environmental change such as climate change and social factors such as health. SDG 3 is to ensure good health and wellbeing for all and climate change can threatens to make achieving this goal even more difficult. In order to explain why I wanted to share the video below created by the World Health Organisation which highlights the effects of climate change on Africa and its implications on health among other social factors such as food security.

 



Water is essential to human health and as seen in the video, an increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather such as flooding and drought brought on by climate change can lead to an increase in water, vector and air borne diseases as well as heat related illnesses (Ziervogel et al, 2014). 

The effects of a changing climate will be felt disproportionately across the globe, with Africa facing more challenges than any other continent (Gemeda and Sima, 2015; UNEP, 2020). As a result, the health of the African population is at greater risk compared to the global average. In some instances disease will increase in areas where they were declining or once not present at all. For example, malaria has declined in certain areas such as South Africa however it is predicted that disease will spread further south from the west of Africa due to climate change causing a resurgence (Ziervogel et al, 2014). 

Reflecting on the video, I feel like the interdisciplinary aspects of water and environmental change need to be tackled in a holistic manner. This view is further supported by Ziervogel et al, (2014) who state that further research and policy needs to be targeted towards longer term climate adaptation with a particular focus on the links across sectors. It is therefore key for those working in environmental sectors to communicate and work with other sectors, to achieve the best possible outcomes in a changing and uncertain world. 

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