By Taylor Dahl, Communications and Community Outreach Specialist, UNMC Water, Climate and Health Program
A companion post to this week's Water for Food Podcast episode featuring Jesse Bell, Director of the Water, Climate and Health Program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Director of Water, Climate and Health at the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute.
When most people think about drought, they picture dry fields, low water levels or a lack of rainfall. But drought is much more than a shortage of water. It can affect food systems, ecosystems, water quality and availability, and ultimately human health.
For a recent episode of the Water for Food Podcast, Taylor Dahl, Communications and Community Outreach Specialist for the Water, Climate and Health Program at UNMC, sat down with Bell to discuss his recent trips to Mongolia for COP17 and Sweden for World Water Week, where he joined international conversations about drought resilience, water management and the role of health in drought planning and preparedness.
Putting health at the center of drought conversations
At COP17, the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, Bell saw growing attention toward the human health impacts of drought.
Drought can contribute to famine and malnutrition, but its impacts can extend much further. Drought can increase the risk of wildfires and dust storms, reduce water availability and affect water quality. These changes can create additional risks for human health.
Bell said recognizing those connections is an important part of improving drought planning and preparedness.
“We need to make sure that we're understanding the outcomes of this impact on human health.”
Moving from reaction to resilience
One of the central themes of Bell's conversations in Mongolia was the need to move away from simply responding to drought when it happens and instead prepare for its potential impacts before an event occurs.
Bell described this as moving beyond the “hydro-illogical cycle,” a pattern in which communities respond intensely to a drought or flood, then return to business as usual once the event passes, only to repeat the process during the next extreme event.
Instead, communities can use the time between events to plan, prepare, conduct exercises and identify gaps before the next drought arrives.
Building connections before the next drought
Preparedness also means bringing different groups to the same table.
Bell highlighted the value of tabletop exercises and other planning activities that bring together hospitals, health departments, emergency preparedness officials, water resource managers and other partners.
Those conversations can help communities identify where collaboration is needed, where knowledge gaps exist and what actions can be taken before an event occurs.
Sharing knowledge across borders
Bell's work also extends beyond the United States. At COP17, he and colleagues helped launch an online course focused on drought vulnerability and impact assessment in collaboration with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the Global Water Partnership.
The course provides tools and examples designed to help people working on the ground better understand drought vulnerability, plan for potential impacts and build resilience. Bell and members of the Water, Climate and Health team contributed content focused on the connections between drought and human health.
At World Water Week in Sweden, Bell continued those conversations with stakeholders from government, academia and nongovernmental organizations.
The conversations provided an opportunity not only to share lessons from work in the United States, but also to learn from people working on drought and water management in other parts of the world.
Keeping health at the table
Bell said one of the next steps is continuing to make sure health is part of drought planning and preparedness conversations around the world.
Drought plans often address water resources, agriculture and other critical sectors, but Bell said health has not always been fully incorporated.
His goal is to build on the work being done in the United States and explore how those approaches can be adapted in other countries, while learning from partners about what works, what doesn't and what needs to change.
Looking ahead
Water is fundamental to communities, agriculture, economies and human health. As water demands grow and communities face changing environmental conditions, Bell said there is an opportunity to focus more on planning ahead rather than waiting to respond after a crisis begins.
For Nebraska, that conversation has a local connection. Bell said he takes pride in seeing Nebraska and the University of Nebraska represented in global conversations about water resource management and drought.
The work happening in Nebraska can help inform global efforts, while lessons from around the world can help communities here continue to plan, prepare and build resilience.
Listen to the full conversation with Jesse Bell on the Water for Food Podcast.