Water and Health, new frontier of Eco-poverty

Freshwaters and sea/ocean waters are widely threatened by the spread of a large range of pollutants, hitting both the living organisms that have their natural habitat in those waters and the human population. In this session we explore what kinds of harms raise by polluted waters, especially transboundary, and how they contribute to enlarge Eco-poverty by affecting specific vulnerable target-groups.

Ecosystems provide humankind with the service of water provisioning in response to an increasing demand of water resources. Environmental degradation and climate changes effects are seriously affecting water availability, ending in large phenomena of water scarcity, with critical damages to ecosystems. The problem is worsened by an irregular distribution of effects, both time and geographical, ending in heavy inequalities and vulnerabilities, a relevant dimension of Eco-poverty. In this session we discuss with the panelists about causes and effects of those phenomena.

In all the planet Earth the demand of water resources is more and more increasing due to several different purposes not related with personal/domestic consumption (human nutrition and hygiene): among the main, agricultural, industrial and energy purposes. But the resilience of water supply systems, both natural and artificial, is under severe threats, even due to a great waste of resources that could be better exploited. In this session we analyse the current scenarios and some experiences of efficiency improvement, thanks to new techniques and technologies.

UN Water reports that in 2020 slightly more than half (56 per cent) of household wastewater was estimated to have been safely treated prior to discharge, all around the world. So, 44% of those wastewaters are still discharged without any treatment, with serious health risks for the population, especially the most vulnerable target-groups, and for nature, as well. In this session we reflect on how to deal with the challenge of recovering wastewater and protecting people, through appropriate technologies and investments, according to different contexts.

Pre registration available here

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85431350847?pwd=cmNBcE9hRHl4VkE3SkJFWFZuckxrZz09