Our secret flood defense - trees!
Trees protect us from floods, drinking water at risk, and Zanzibar’s Solar Mamas
GOOD NEWS
A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, which means heavy rainfall events are increasing around the globe, which in turn can increase the risk of flooding. That’s bad news, obviously.
But the good news is that trees are a strong natural defense against flooding. They help soil absorb water by soaking up rainfall through their roots. The roots also reduce erosion and runoff while leafy canopies slow rain down, reducing flash flood risk.
In the UK, researchers at the University of Plymouth are planting native trees in Dartmoor, in hopes of reviving the area's ancient woodland pastures and helping with local flood control. They're planting these native trees using the “tiny forest” Miyawaki Method I’ve written about before here. By planting many different native species closely together, planted trees can rapidly mimic a multi-layered forest ecosystem.
In cities, green roofs don’t just keep buildings cool. They also absorb rainwater and reduce surface runoff. In India, for example, one study found that installing green roofs across an urban area could reduce flood volume between 10 and 60 percent.
Trees already filter the air, keep us cool, provide habitat for species and so much more. Now we know they’re essential to protecting us from floods as well!
NOT-SO-GOOD NEWS
Climate change is impacting the safety of drinking water supplies around the world in numerous ways.
During wildfires, toxic chemicals in the smoke can be sucked into water systems. After the 2018 blaze that scorched Paradise, CA, levels of benzene in tested water samples were still 80 times above the allowable limit a year after the fire. It has taken almost 7 years and $40 million dollars to replace the town's water system.
Flooding contaminates drinking water supplies. When Hurricane Helene dropped 14 inches of rain on Asheville, NC last year, the ensuing flooding swept away water lines and pushed E. coli contaminated water into 40 percent of water wells in the area. If bacteria like cholera are already present, as they are in some low-income countries like Haiti, flooding can cause outbreaks of water-borne illnesses when bacteria is swept into drinking water.
Droughts also put drinking water at risk. When water levels are low, decomposing plant matter gets concentrated in surface water, forcing water treatment plants to use more chlorine, which leads to toxic byproducts. "Utilities face a balancing act: Using too little chlorine could allow opportunistic pathogens to survive. Using too much chlorine could allow harmful [toxic disinfection byproducts] to build up in drinking water," Yale Environment 360 reported. One study found that one of these byproducts, trihalomethanes, increased the risk of bladder and colorectal cancers.
As climate change increases the frequency and severity of wildfires, floods, and droughts, we know water crises will be getting worse in the coming years and decades, and that affects us all.
INSPIRATION OF THE MONTH
Only about half of the 2 million people who live in Zanzibar, an island archipelago off Tanzania’s coast, have access to electricity. A group of women called Solar Mamas are working to change that! They’re installing and maintaining solar kits on the rooftops of homes across Zanzibar. These solar kits give residents a way out of energy poverty by providing affordable clean energy rather than expensive and dirty fuels such as paraffin and charcoal.
Barefoot College Zanzibar, a not-for-profit social enterprise, provides the Solar Mamas with a three-month training course. Most who enrolled in the program have received little formal schooling. “Many opportunities don’t reach such women,” says Brenda Geofrey, their director of programmes. “We want to change their mindset from thinking they were just born to be mothers and to raise children to knowing they can be professionals.”
This work provides these women with economic opportunities in an area with few employment options. After graduating, the government gives the women 25 solar power kits to install in households, and they charge each household a monthly fee of 6,000 Tanzanian shillings (about $2.30) for five years. More than 65 women have completed the training from Barefoot College Zanzibar since 2015, and they've gone on to install solar kits in 1,858 houses in 29 villages.
Tues April 1 at 5:30pm ET - Ignatius Lecture at American University - in person in Washington, DC. More details to come, free
Thurs April 3 at 5pm ET - Faith & Waters Restoration Forum with Oakland Mills Interfaith and Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake - in person in Columbia, MD, free
Tues April 8 at 11am CT - Austin College Posey Leadership Award with Austin College - in person in Sherman, TX, free
Weds April 30 at 8pm ET - Don’t Say Climate? Bridging Divides with Katharine Hayhoe a fundraiser for the Climate Psychology Alliance of North America - virtual, $35 donation
Every time I read about trees they turn out to be more amazing than I thought
I hope the solar project is not affected by the USAID takedown.