Modern Challenges in Water,

Nutrition, and Climate Change

Cecile Obeid, Ph.D. (c)
Introduction
Nowadays, there are many challenges facing society that
affect people’s healths and lives.
• Water availability and quality
• Greenhouse gas emissions
• Food wasting
• Malnutrition
Water- Where is All the Water?
• Most of the water on earth is salt water: 97.5%.
• The remaining 2.5% of the water on Earth is fresh water.
• We use fresh water for farming, industry, and at home for drinking,
washing, and watering.
• Approximately 70% of this fresh water is frozen (mostly as ice in
Antarctica), and nearly 30% is found underground and is too
expensive to tap into and filter.
• That leaves only around 1% of all the fresh water on Earth to use
to grow crops, raise animals, power industry, and use at home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6pjj2gVnWA
Where is All the Water?
Water in the Human Body
Water Issues
• There is a lot of water in the food we eat (embodied water).
• For example, it takes approximately 25,000 L (half a garden
swimming pool) to produce enough food for a family of 4 for a
single day.
• More than 2 billion people do not have access to clean drinking
water.
• Many people walk at least 2 hours a day to get water.
• In the developing world, 90% of sewage goes untreated into
rivers and streams. Often, these are the same rivers that people
wash in and get drinking water from.
Water in Lebanon
• Water is one of the most precious resources in Lebanon.
• Key obstacles and challenges facing Lebanon’s water sector are:
• Increasing water demand from all sectors
• Water pollution
• Unsustainable water management practices
• Meeting the country’s water demand over the medium and long-
term poses a significant challenge to the government.
• To meet the domestic water demand in 2030, Lebanon will have
to supply 420 million m3 per year compared to the 280 million m3
per year supplied by the water authorities in 2005.
Water in Lebanon
The driving forces affecting the quality and quantity of water
resources in Lebanon are:
• Population growth
• Urbanization
• Economic growth
• Climate change
 Water in Lebanon
Population growth
Number of people
(millions)

Year
Tradingeconomics.com | Lebanon |World Bank
Water in Lebanon
Population growth
• In assessing water resources, it is important to consider the total
population in Lebanon (including refugees) and not just the
resident population to capture the full impact on water resources.
• Further pressure on water resources comes from tourism.
• According to the Ministry of Tourism, 1.8 million visitors came to
Lebanon in 2009.
• Whether they come for recreation, business or medical
treatment, tourists consume more water than residents (400
L/c/d for tourists compared to 150 L/c/d for residents) but over a
short time period.
Water in Lebanon
Urbanization
• Lebanon is a heavily urbanized country, with 88% of the
population living in urban areas.
• It is estimated that Lebanon’s urban areas will grow by 10 km2 per
year over the next 30 years.
• This rate of urbanization has stressed water resources.
• The growing urbanization has also resulted in the production of
increased levels of untreated wastewater and solid waste,
particularly in the coastal region, leading to untreated effluent
flowing into freshwater resources and coastal marine waters.
Water in Lebanon
Economic growth
• Lebanon’s economic development has been the main driver of
urbanization in the country.
• During the 19th century, Lebanon was largely an agrarian country.
• Throughout the 20th century, the contribution of the services
sector to overall economic growth increased in Beirut and the
other major cities in Lebanon.
• The main drivers of this growth were construction (and
reconstruction), tourism, and banking.
Water in Lebanon
Economic growth
• The agricultural sector continues to be the largest water
consumer in the country. About 60% of total freshwater goes to
agriculture.
• As a result of the pattern of economic growth, agricultural
demand on water resources will grow by 1% per year over the
next 20 years, while domestic and industrial demands will grow
by 5% per year.
Water in Lebanon
Climate change
• Global warming affects precipitation. This will be reflected in changes in
freshwater availability and quality.
• Some studies argue that Lebanon is witnessing signs of decreasing
precipitation and increasing drought and desertification.
• There is a clear trend and a substantial decline in precipitation between
1966 and 2005.
Precipitation (mm)

Year Shaban 2009

 Water in Lebanon
Climate change
• If, as most climate experts predict, the dry areas will become drier as
the earth continues to warm up, the Litani River basin is going to see
less rain in the future, which will have a substantial impact on water
resources for irrigation because the Litani River is the lifeline for
agriculture in the Bekaa and South Lebanon.
• Moreover, snow coverage and density have been declining.
• The effect of global warming on snow, which is vital for water resources
in Lebanon, is devastating.
• It is predicted that with a rise of 2°C, the snow cover in the mountain
area above Ibrahim River will decrease by 50%.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZG6yRkR1Go
Greenhouse Gases
• Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and make the planet
warmer (global warming).
• The main greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane
(CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and water vapor (H2O gas).
• Human activities are responsible for almost all of the increase in
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over the last 150 years.
• The largest source of greenhouse gas emissions is from burning fossil
fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation.
Greenhouse Gases

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN5-DnOHQmE
Greenhouse Gases- CO2 Emission
• Carbon dioxide (CO2) is released through the natural processes of
respiration and volcanic eruptions.
• It also enters the atmosphere through human activities.
• Burning fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and oil), solid waste, trees and
wood products
• Manufacturing cement
• The increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration is the most
important long-lived ‘forcing’ of climate change.
• CO2 is removed from the atmosphere when it is absorbed by
plants as part of the biological carbon cycle. Thus, deforestation is
also contributing to the increasing CO2 levels.
 Global CO2 Emissions from Fossil
Fuel Combustion and Cement
Production

Year
Greenhouse Gases- CO2 Emission

GCP, Worldwatch Institute

Greenhouse Gases and Global
Warming
The consequences of the greenhouse gas effect are difficult to predict, but
certain events seem likely:
• On average, the Earth will become warmer. Some regions may welcome
warmer temperatures, but others may not.
• Warmer conditions will probably lead to more evaporation and
precipitation overall, but individual regions will vary, some becoming
wetter and others dryer.
• A stronger greenhouse effect will warm the oceans and partially melt
glaciers and other ice, increasing sea level. Ocean water will also expand
if it warms, contributing further to sea level rise.
• Higher temperatures and shifting climate patterns may change the areas
where crops grow best and affect the makeup of natural plant
communities.
Crop Species
> 80,000 plant species are edible

≈10,000 have been used in human history

≈ 150 are cultivated today

12 provide >80% of
human food

Only 4 provide >60%

of human food
Food Wastage
• With the rising number of food wastage globally, the ethical question
pops into mind: “Are we feeding the hungry or feeding the waste?”
• Food inequality is a key social problem.
• With the rich and wealthy having the freedom to discard excess food
into the trash bins, the same amount of food wasted (1.3 billion tons
lost annually) can feed the malnourished 4 times!
• A statistical report revealed that around 800 million people worldwide
suffer from hunger and malnutrition (2017 UN World Hunger Report),
translating to 1 in 9 people suffering from malnourishment, with the
main sufferers being children.
• Theoretically speaking, this phenomenon can be avoided with equal
distribution of food, where excess food that can feed the poor does not
turn to waste or end up in landfills.
FAO 2011, Segre &
Vittuari 2013
Obesity
• Overweight and obesity cause a number of health problems, including
diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attacks, stroke, breathing problems
(sleep apnea), osteoarthritis, and some cancers.
• Their rates are increasing worldwide and leading to health problems and
a rising number of deaths.
• About 2.2 billion people around the world are either overweight or
obese.
• In 2016:
• 39% of adults were overweight, and 13% were obese.
• 70% of adults in the U.S. were overweight.
• 41 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese.
Obesity
• The fundamental cause of obesity and overweight is an energy
imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended.
• Globally, there has been:
• Increased intake of energy-dense foods that are high in fat
• Increase in physical inactivity due to the increasingly
sedentary nature of many forms of work, changing modes of
transportation, and increasing urbanization
Obesity

Ng. et al. 2014

Malnutrition is Costly
• Malnutrition results from either nutrient deficiency/undernutrition
(wasting, stunting, underweight) or overconsumption (overweight or
obesity).
• Besides the devastating effects on health, slow progress on malnutrition is
also impacting the social and economic development of countries.
• It is estimated that malnutrition in all its forms could cost society up to
$3.5 trillion per year, with overweight and obesity alone costing $500
billion per year.
• In the U.S., obesity-related illnesses cost $190.2 billion or nearly 21% of
annual medical spending.
• Childhood obesity alone is responsible for $14 billion in direct medical costs.
• Undernutrition costs the global economy $1.4-2.1 trillion per year and
explains around 45% of deaths among children under the age of 5.
Malnutrition is Costly

The Global Nutrition

Report 2016