Real climate change effects on Anglesey : 2. the human environment
Climate change and human environment: perhaps the most worrying topic – especially if people don’t recognise or anticipate them. The extreme heat wave of 2003 killed thousands in France from heat stroke, breathing difficulties and exhaustion. But impacts go beyond immediate effects on health to issues with water supply, food supply and our buildings.
Public Water supply
Changes to public water supply is one of the major impacts of climate change globally; Anglesey may suffer if the “promised” long hot dry summers become a regular feature. Our water supply is from two reservoirs. (1) Llyn Alaw is used to supply drinking water to the northern half of the island and does so at a rate of 35 million litres a day. The catchment is largely agricultural, and few notable rivers feed into the lake so water is sourced mainly by trapping rainfall. The reservoir is only 5.2 metres deep with a capacity of 7500 million litres. (2) Llyn Cefni is the second largest body of water on the island with a capacity of 1800 million litres. Alaw will suffer from climate change if rainfall decreases over long hot dry summers, both from lack of refilling and from increased evaporation. Shallow lakes warm up quickly and lose water by evaporation into hot dry air – even faster under predicted climate change!
Private water supplies may come under increasing threat from agricultural runoff or drainage waters, effluent from ineffective sewage works or untreated sewage. Changing rainfall regimes will affect aquifers – wells and boreholes could become contaminated or run dry.
Contact with surface waters might become problematic – see below under Human health.
Agriculture and food production
Just as natural ecosystems will be affected by climate change, so too will agriculture, but since these are managed ecosystems, the impacts are also on how we can manage them. The growth of plants , whether crop plants or grass (its important to recognise that to a farmer, a field of grass is a vitally important crop) will be affected by temperature increases and by changing patterns of rainfall. The management of farmland – when [and if] a soil is suitable for cultivation without causing compaction, structural damage or erosion is a key determinant of successful farming. Changing water regimes causes by changing rainfall patterns could be the difference between being able to sow a crop or not, and in the case of storms, the difference between being able to harvest or not. Many of Anglesey’s soils are clay rich with poor drainage, these are very vulnerable to increased wetness. The sandy soils are less prone to wetness problems, but are still at risk of compaction which can increase runoff and erosion. Anglesey’s historical role of feeding Wales has been reduced by improved large scale agriculture elsewhere, but growing cereals and potatoes could be a thing of the past under climate change.
On the plus side, rising temperatures can introduce new crops : Anglesey now has two vineyards, Red Wharf Bay and Gwynfyd Môn / Anglesey Bliss. Previously in 2007 “In one of the most remarkable examples yet of global warming, an olive grove has been planted on Anglesey. Vineyard owner Tom Barlow believes the site, next to Gwinllan Padrig, Cemaes, is Europe’s northern most olive grove. Last month he planted 50 trees and plans to harvest his first crop this year to make Welsh extra virgin olive oil. (Daily Post). Sadly that venture failed but it showed possibilities.
Other crops that may become more successful include some fruit trees, almonds, olives, corn-on-the-cob [maize is generally grown for silage for cattle feed currently], sunflowers [typically game cover or animal feed at present].
Livestock breeds or even species are changing ….. we’ve seen bison and alpacas become more common but how about ostriches or kangaroo [both much healthier than red meat] ?? Climate change and human environment need not be negative !
Human health
Climate change effects on human environments include our health. Warmer winters are sometimes blamed for failing to ‘kill off’ certain virus, bacteria or other bugs. Hot dry spells are also blamed for health problems, heat exhaustion, breathing difficulties and the like. Even worse, we may see new pests and diseases moving in that we associate with other climates.
Surface waters will become increasingly affected by toxic blue-green algae – swimming in rivers, lakes and reservoirs could be banned, dogs must be kept from such waters. even the sea can be affected where there is significant pollution from agriculture or untreated sewage.
Lancet Countdown report
The Welcome Trust and Lancet journal publish a review of climate change impacts on human health regularly. In 2021 they say that every region of the world is affected by climate change and its health impacts are getting worse. We are seeing more frequent and more intense extremes of heat harming people’s health in rich and poor countries; 72% of countries saw an increase in human exposure to wildfires; the environmental suitability the transmission of diseases like dengue, malaria and cholera is increasing around the world; and in 2020, up to 19% of the global land surface was affected by extreme drought in any given month – putting people in danger of food and water insecurity. Compounded with insufficient adaptation measures, the most vulnerable people are the worst affected, and climate change is already exacerbating inequities. read the full report here https://www.lancetcountdown.org/2021-report/
The built environment
Reading the latest National Trust members’ magazine, they state “climate change is the single biggest threat to Trust houses”. But its not just stately homes like Plas Newydd at threat : all our buildings face some kind of risk from changing weather. Are we convinced our properties can withstand :
- more intense storms?
- intense rainfall & flooding?
- high winds?
- excessive summer heat?
- increased winter cold & damp?
- coastal roads flooded or eroded? [remember the landslip at Beaumaris?]
- impact on health – cold or damp homes are bad for many health issues and disabilities.
Climate change and human environment – power generation
There is no doubt we need to move away from our current reliance on oil and gas for electricity generation [as well as for transport and home heating] but talk of renewables or nuclear raise all manner of objections. The aesthetics of onshore wind turbines and solar farms; the ethics of taking agricultural land out of food production to house solar farms; the health risk of nuclear power stations ; the environmental impact of offshore wind and the latest – objections to harnessing tidal stream energy. We need to utilise some or all of these !
Ethics and justice
Climate change effects on human environments include ethical considerations. Climate change will affect the poorest people in society disproportionately. How will the County Council or Welsh government protect those in poor housing conditions ?
One Welsh academic said rising sea levels could force the “significant relocation of communities” in Wales, given that over half the population live by the coast. The latest IPCC report said “A rise in sea levels approaching 2m by the end of this century cannot be ruled out”. Wales’ Climate Change Minister Julie James said “the alarm bell has been rung”, and called for action.