A “Silver Tsunami” Is Hitting the Water Industry

With all that as background, the new Planetary Health Check report came out last week, saying that the patient—planet Earth—is in critical condition. In its assessment, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research noted that six boundaries out of nine, which are crucial to the well-being of the world, have already been breached, and that we are very close to approaching the threshold for another. Ocean acidification due to the absorption of CO2 is the seventh boundary that is nearly, but not yet, broken. Increasing acidity affects marine ecosystems, in particular harming calcifying organisms like sea urchins and crustaceans.  

The researchers say the planetary boundaries already transgressed include CO2 levels, the loss of genetic diversity, forest loss, the instability of Earth’s water systems, fertilizer overuse, and synthetics like plastics being released into the atmosphere. The report emphasizes that each of these challenges has been addressed separately, but they are interconnected and collectively impact human health as well as the planet’s, so a whole-earth approach is urgently needed to ensure humanity’s future.

Professionals who work to provide safe drinking water and who handle waste and stormwater are aging out, and, as Michigan Public reports, finding young people to replace them is a challenge. A report six years ago by the Brookings Institution said that about 50 percent of the water workforce has only a high school diploma and will need training in digital tech and even cybersecurity.

The EPA is funding projects with $20 million to encourage undergraduates to look for opportunities in the water industry. The University of New Mexico is one recipient of the funds and is looking to prepare students to address climate change and to diversify the water workforce, as women and people of color are underrepresented.

The problem is worldwide. A report this month from the UN said there is deep-seated social, gender, and cultural discrimination in the water sector as well as limited education and training opportunities for women especially in the Global South.

In a speech before the UN General Assembly last week, the country’s prime minister Feleti Teo implored members to affirm that Tuvalu’s maritime boundaries and statehood are permanent and not subject to challenge “under any circumstances of sea level rise.” (quote at 11:30-minute mark).

NASA scientists project that by 2050, daily tides will submerge half of Tuvalu's main atoll of Funafuti, threatening not only the country’s culture but also its economy. Despite being only 26 square kilometers of land, Tuvalu’s maritime boundary is over 900,000 square kilometers—creating an exclusive economic zone with lucrative fishing rights. According to Reuters, foreign fleets pay about $30 million in licensing fees annually to access Tuvalu’s tuna-rich waters. The country also pulls in substantial yearly revenue by selling its .tv internet domain.

That could all go away if the nine atolls in the Pacific that make up Tuvalu are partially or completely submerged, because, according to the law of the sea, dry land has been a requirement for statehood. Tuvalu wants to change that definition and declare its boundaries fixed. It has the support of its island neighbors and Australia as well as several governments in Asia and Europe. However, officials worry that some foreign jurisdictions that operate fishing fleets are not on board.

The UN’s International Law Commission will issue a report on sea level rise next year but has already indicated its support for a “strong presumption” that statehood would continue where any nation’s land was totally or partially submerged by rising sea levels caused by climate change.

In fact, if you’re a mosquito, CBD could be a total downer. New research from The Ohio State University has found that the chemical can kill their larvae. Mosquito larvae are aquatic organisms often found in standing water. Typically, insecticides are used to kill them before they become adults that transmit diseases like dengue, Zika, and yellow fever.

However, widespread overuse has led to both insecticide resistance and other detrimental effects on the environment. So, better options are needed. With that in mind, the Ohio researchers tested CBD on two different strains of the yellow fever mosquito larva—one that was resistant to insecticides and another that was not and found the compound killed both within 48 hours. While this discovery could offer a natural, sustainable, and cheap alternative to synthetic products, further research is needed to ensure CBD would not harm beneficial organisms like pollinators.

The study was published in the journal Insects.