The Stream, November 10, 2021: Climate Change Will Impact Low-Income Women and Girls the Most

YOUR GLOBAL RUNDOWN

• Women and girls in low-income countries are likely to bear the burden of climate catastrophes like floods and droughts.
• China announces new clean air and water targets.
• Climate change is decreasing fish populations at one of Nova Scotia’s biggest fish hatcheries.
• Researchers at a New Orleans university will study the impact of Hurricane Ida on Louisiana groundwater.

UK Parliament passes underwhelming legislation to reduce sewage discharges, activists say.

“Britain is again the dirty man of Europe. Not one English river is in a healthy state… People want to see fast and bolder action ministers.” – Luke Pollard, the shadow environment secretary in the United Kingdom. Members of Parliament in the United Kingdom passed an amendment this week aimed at gradually reducing sewage discharges from storm overflows, The Guardian reports. Environmental activists, however, say the legislation is not strict enough and actually weakens current laws around sewage discharge. A movement in the UK to stop the release of raw sewage into waterways has gained steam lately after a recent report found that water companies released raw sewage into rivers more than 400,000 times in 2020.

IN RECENT WATER NEWS

In Case You Missed It:

HotSpots H2O: World Spending on Climate Adaptation Must Increase Five- or Tenfold – While climate adaptation planning is more widespread than ever, the U.N. says the gap between current spending and needed funding is enormous, and widening.

What’s Up With Water – November 8, 2021 – This week’s episode covers a declaration from Colombian officials at COP26 and an Oregon city working to keep Google’s water consumption out of the public eye.

Women and Girls Will Disproportionately Feel the Impact of Climate Change

As climate change continues to increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather across the globe, The Washington Post reports that women and girls in lower-income countries will be disproportionately affected. Water stresses like flooding can keep girls out of school, and research shows girls are less likely to return to school at all after disruptions to their education. Drought can make it even harder for women and girls, who bear the brunt of water collecting, to find supplies for their households. Longer treks for water can expose them to more violence.

TODAY’S TOP WATER STORIES, TOLD IN NUMBERS

79 PERCENT

China announced new clean air and water targets this week after acknowledging the country has a “long way to go” on environmental protection, Al Jazeera reports. The targets include enhance solid waste treatment and increase good water quality in coastal regions to 79 percent.

650,000 COLD TROUT AND SALMON

Climate change is affecting the capabilities of a major fish hatchery in Nova Scotia, Canada, according to CBC.  The Fraser’s Mills Fish Hatchery, which annually releases 650,000 cold trout and salmon into provincial watersheds for recreational angling, says drought, warmer water temperatures and low oxygen levels have caused an uptick in disease and death among their fish.

ON THE RADAR

A team of researchers at Tulane University in New Orleans will study the effect Hurricane Ida has had on Louisiana groundwater and water systems, the Associated Press reports. The scientists plan to map chemical and microbial contamination to identify which households may be at risk by sampling around 150 sites around heavily flooded areas.

Jane Johnston

Jane is a Communications Associate for Circle of Blue. She writes The Stream and has covered domestic and international water issues for Circle of Blue. She is a recent graduate of Grand Valley State University, where she studied Multimedia Journalism and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. During her time at Grand Valley, she was the host of the Community Service Learning Center podcast Be the Change. Currently based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Jane enjoys listening to music, reading and spending time outdoors.