The Rundown

According to The Wall Street Journal, July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded, with unprecedented heatwaves and fires reported in North America, Europe, and Asia.  

The Middle East suffered from water shortages, while Greece and China experienced record-breaking heatwaves and floods.  

The United States saw over 3,000 daily temperature records broken, with rising heat-related deaths. 

U.S. States Most Impacted

Record-breaking heat was reported in Arizona, Texas, Florida, parts of California, and New Mexico.  

Heat-Related Deaths

There were 1,200 heat-related deaths between 2018 and 2022 in the U.S. However, the Journal reports that this has been "massively underestimated, and the real number is closer to 10,000." 

Europe had more than 61,000 heat-related deaths between the end of May 2022 and September 2022. 

Heat and Water Demand

Longer and more intense heat waves increase the demand for water from humans, animals, plants, and farmers. Heat also increases evaporation, worsening droughts and drying out soil, leading to more intense heat. Increased water demand puts additional stress on water supplies worldwide, especially in the U.S. 

Heat and Water Issues Around the World 

Iran/Iraq: Taps are running dry in Tehran, Iran, and neighboring Iraq. In both cases, they have exploited underground water, making them even more dependent on rainfall that is not materializing.  

China: China struggles to manage water supplies due to flooding and rising temperatures. It is considered the most vulnerable to climate risk among the world's largest economies, according to Scott Moore, a University of Pennsylvania political scientist and director of China programs and strategic initiatives at the university. 

Alaska: Parts of Alaska experienced temperatures as high as 66 degrees this summer, higher than the usual 40 to 50 degrees. While water shortages have not been an issue, the alarming fact is that Alaska is warming at least twice as fast as the rest of the world, according to Brian Brettschneider, a National Weather Service (Alaska) climate scientist.

New York City: Summer temperatures in New York are eight degrees hotter than before, placing greater demand on water for people and air conditioning systems. Most A/C systems pump warm air out of a building, releasing it outside. This is exacerbating the heat problem in the city.

Solutions

Water conservation can address immediate water shortages, but long-term conservation won't solve the growing heat problem and its impact on water.  

Water efficiency is the only solution achieved by reducing water consumption long-term through updated mechanicals and new restroom fixtures in commercial and residential spaces.

The example typically used is the installation of no-water urinals which save millions of gallons of water per year. However, there are many other ways to use water more efficiently in agriculture, industry, commercial facilities, schools, and hospitals.

Waiting to take these steps in the future is too late. We need to take these steps now.

 Klaus Reichardt is CEO and founder of Waterless Co, Inc, pioneers in advancing water efficiency.  Reichardt founded the company in 1991 with the goal of establishing a new market segment in the plumbing fixture industry with water efficiency in mind. Reichardt is a frequent writer and presenter, discussing water conservation issues. He can be reached at klaus@waterless.com

 Sources:

WSF article published August 8, 2023

All data in the Journal report was provided by the Copernicus Climate Change Service, funded by the European Union.