Center for Sustainable Environment & Safe Water

Position Statement

 

South Florida’s Drinking Water and Public Health


I. Water and the Global Economy

Water is essential for everyday life.  Homes, businesses, public and private institutions and industries all use one basic resource, water.  The Florida Public Health Institute (FPHI) understands the challenges that are increasingly threatening the supply and safety of water on a national and global scale.  Water is needed for political stability as it directly and indirectly affects the economic status of a nation through its water security issues: food supply, energy and economic growth.  As the population continues to grow exponentially, the demand for water will continue to increase.  However, there is a limited supply of water on Earth’s surface and a continued supply of potable, safe water is essential to public health.  FPHI encourages government entities, public health agencies, private business and the community-at-large to provide leadership on water conservation, security and economic issues by increasing awareness, improving management and promoting investment and reform.

  • FPHI recognizes that unlike energy water has no substitutes or alternatives and encourages the conservation of water.
  • FPHI acknowledges that water is vital for the production of food and agriculture and that demand will increase with a growing population. 
  • FPHI recognizes that water is used to produce energy, and it will increase in demand as the global demand for energy will increase.
  • FPHI recognizes that the economic stability on a national and community level will be affected by water security concerns. 
  • FPHI asserts that water security issues must be financially and investment based to ensure economic growth development.
  • FPHI recognizes that governments and civil societies that take action to defeat water related crisis will benefit economically and environmentally by retaining and attracting companies, attracting more investments to infrastructure, and strengthening their economy.

II. FPHI Response to Water and the Global Economy

FPHI has the role of identifying, preventing and responding to geopolitical water concerns that pose a challenge to public health.  FPHI supports the improvement of the regional and global economy by raising awareness, improving management and promoting investment.

  • FPHI supports the enhancement of economic stability through a multi-stakeholder approach that involves government, public and private institutions and local communities.
  • FPHI advocates for improving water resource managements and raising awareness of water supply conservation to businesses and government leaders.
  • FPHI encourages investments in water infrastructures to secure the quantity and quality of our water supply needed for cities, energy and industry.
  • FPHI encourages reforms in water supply management to attract private finance that will alleviate the water investment gap public funds cannot fill.

III. Climate Change and Public Health in South Florida

Global climate change has become a more apparent and a more significant threat to public health.  FPHI supports the evidence that anthropogenic factors have contributed to our current climate change crisis.  FPHI believes that there are environmental changes in addition to increasing temperatures that will affect public health and supports the state of knowledge presented by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).  The IPCC reported that as concentrations of greenhouse gases continue to rise, temperature and precipitation patterns among other environmental characteristics, will change and cause sea levels to rise.  Public health has the role to determine solutions and responses to these health and environmental effects due to climate change.  The public health challenges caused by climate change from extreme weather events include:  illness and/or death from non-infectious health effects such as heat waves, respiratory and cardiovascular disease, and increased patterns of infectious vector- and water- borne diseases.  Public health has the responsibility of anticipating and determining climate related threats and will promote awareness, prevention and response to these challenges.

  • FPHI recognizes that coastal areas, such as South Florida, are most vulnerable to climate changes and its impending health implications.
  • FPHI acknowledges that increasing temperatures and sea level rise can cause changes to the salinity of both surface water and ground water through salt water intrusion.
  • FPHI acknowledges that salt water intrusion will affect South Florida’s drinking water supply and its potential unprecedented demands on water security and sustainability.
  • FPHI asserts that climate change will require the collaboration of local, state, and federal health systems and agencies to meet climate related challenges.

 IV. FPHI response to Climate Change and Coastal Impacts

FPHI has the role of identifying, preventing and responding to climate related events through research, policy and education.  FPHI has the active role in acting as a conveyer of expertise on matters related to climate change and water sustainability.

  • FPHI advocates for partnerships of private business and the academic, public health, and local community to solve health related problems imposed by climate change.
  • FPHI encourages local, state, and federal elected representatives to provide leadership and development of public health policy to address health impacts related to global climate change.

 V. Research, Policy and Education

  • FPHI promotes innovative programs in bio-preparedness and health system readiness including health promotion activities, and the use of computer modeling in disaster preparedness.
  • FPHI promotes collaborations between pubic health and academia and encourages a collaborative effort to provide education and outreach to local communities, policy makers, and other public and private institutions.
  • FPHI advocates for the improvement of translation of research to policy to practice and the prevention and mitigation of human and environmental health impacts due to climate change.
  • FPHI advocates for innovative water treatment projects and practices that consider protecting natural resources, water conservation and methods of alternative energy.

Reference:

IPCC, 2007: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning (eds.)].

World Economic Forum Water Initiative: Managing our future water needs for agriculture, industry, human health and the environment.  Contribution of the World Economic Forum  Annual Meeting 2009.