Climate Change & Health Issues: Analysis and Solutions for New Zealand

This report examines the impact of climate change on New Zealand, specifically focusing on the issues of increased flooding and water contamination and their effects on infrastructure, human health, and biodiversity. It highlights the rise in flood incidents causing infrastructure damage and the contamination of fresh and marine water sources, leading to waterborne diseases. The report proposes three potential solutions: protecting wetlands and introducing water storage areas, investing in temporary flood barriers, and implementing methods for capturing and disposing of floating pollution in waterways. It discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each solution, ultimately recommending the use of raised embankments in flood-prone areas, the creation of water storage reservoirs, and the deployment of floating booms to prevent the spread of water pollutants. The report concludes by emphasizing the need for a well-planned and strategic investment by the New Zealand government to effectively address these climate change-related challenges in the most affected regions.

Running head: CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH ISSUES
CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH ISSUES
Name of the student:
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Author's Note:

1CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH ISSUES
Executive summary
This report has analyzed the condition in the various parts of New Zealand and affected by
climate change issues in various ways. This report has discussed the issues of flood affecting
infrastructure and water pollution leading to water contamination. This report has provided three
probable solution and choose two best methods to find solution and implement in the country.

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Table of Contents
Introduction:....................................................................................................................................3
Problem:...........................................................................................................................................3
Solution:...........................................................................................................................................4
Discussion:.......................................................................................................................................4
Conclusion:......................................................................................................................................5
Recommendation:............................................................................................................................5
References:......................................................................................................................................6

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Introduction:
These issues of flooding and water contamination are quite common in the recent
era of global warming and climate change. These issues of increasing flood, extreme weather and
issues of pollution in air, water and soil are snowballing. However, in New Zealand two most
important climate change impacts are the flood incidents affecting the agriculture and
infrastructure of the country and water contamination in the fresh and marine water affecting the
human health and biodiversity of the place (Royalsociety.org.nz., 2018). This report will find
solution of these issues and recommend how these solutions can be employed effectively so that
the government of New Zealand can plan the change and initiate to invest to change the current
situation.
Problem:
Climate change and its impact in the human live have a vast area to acknowledge Due to
climate change, unlike other countries. the lives of New Zealand have started to face survival
issues. First of all, due to climate change and global warming, the frequency of flood has
increased that are causing infrastructure damage in the country. The extremist events like 2015
flood in South Dunedin and 2017 flood in Edgecumbe have posed immediate risks in the human
survival. Secondly, the climate change in the New Zealand area has led to increase the water
borne diseases (Royalsociety.org.nz., 2018). Due to extreme rainfall, flood and high temperature,
the fresh water as well as marine water are being contaminated with the virus, bacteria and
protozoa like Cryptosporidium and Giardia. These are increasing the problems in human health.
These pollutants also include oil and seaweeds in the marine water which are also affecting the
health as well as marine biodiversity of the country.

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Solution:
In order to solve the issue of flooding due to extreme weather, the government of New
Zealand firstly need to protect wetlands and introduce water storage areas by improving the
infrastructural condition of the country (Chebbi, 2009, p. 481). Secondly, the government can
also invest in putting up temporary flood barriers to manage the threat and frequency of flood
defenses. Thirdly, to solve the water contamination issues, the government or the non-
government agencies can focus on the capturing and disposing of he floating pollution in the
water ways (Castro et al., 2015, p. 330). Different countries of Europe have used this method to
keep the fresh and marine water to become contaminated .
Discussion:
As mentioned before, the climate change issues have affected the human survival in
every possible way. In order to reduce the increasing amount of flood in the coastal area of New
Zealand, the government can build temporary defenses like raised embankments in the most risk
areas (Wesselink et al., 2015, p.36). The advantage of such defenses is that these are
demountable defenses built when threat and frequency of flood risk increases and can be
completely removed when the flood waters recede. However, this process needs higher
investment which can be disadvantage for the government. Secondly the method of increasing
the amount of water storage areas is another process to reduce effect of flood in the most
vulnerable region of the country (Alfieri, Feyen & Di Baldassarre, 2016, p.510). This is quite
promising method as the building of culverts underneath the streets and food storage reservoir is
quite simple and does not induce much fund. Thirdly, to reduce the water contamination, the
government can use floating boom which acts as barrier for the floating pollution or insects
(Castro et al., 2010, p. 227) Starting from trash, seaweed and oil in the marine water, this floating

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boom can prevent spreading of these pollutants and contaminate more water bodies (Chebbi,
2009, p. 482).
Conclusion:
Therefore, it can be concluded that New Zealand has two most important climate change
issues that relates to the flood incidents affecting infrastructure of the country and water
contamination affecting the human health and water purity of the place. This is the reason why
the government can use raised embankments in the flood areas based on weather report, use food
storage reservoir and floating boom to prevent spreading of various types of pollutants that
contaminate the fresh and marine water. Through proper plan and investment, the government of
New Zealand can solve issues of climate change.
Recommendation:
In order to solve climate change issue is highly difficult as this takes place in a vast
portion of area which cannot always be covered. This is the reason why the government of New
Zealand needs to have proper plan before implementing these solutions in managing such issues.
First of all, the government needs to identify the places which need these helps. In order to
identify the government can work collaboratively with the agencies which work with the
communities affected by flood and water contamination issues. In this regard, the government
needs to create a blue print of plan so that the amount of investment and number of affected areas
can be covered gradually. In order to fulfill these projects like building flood water storage and
flood booms, the government needs to employ companies based on their performance in other
countries. Thus, this project will be successful and the effect of climate change in the most
affected region of New Zealand can be answered.

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References:
Alfieri, L., Feyen, L., & Di Baldassarre, G. (2016). Increasing flood risk under climate change: a
pan-European assessment of the benefits of four adaptation strategies. Climatic Change,
136(3-4), 507-521.
Castro, A., Iglesias, G., Carballo, R., & Fraguela, J. A. (2010). Floating boom performance under
waves and currents. Journal of hazardous Materials, 174(1-3), 226-235.
Castro, A., Pérez, J. L., Rabuñal, J. R., & Iglesias, G. (2015). Genetic programming and floating
boom performance. Ocean Engineering, 104, 310-318.
Chebbi, R. (2009). Profile of oil spill confined with floating boom. Chemical Engineering
Science, 64(3), 467-473.
Wesselink, A., Warner, J., Syed, M. A., Chan, F., Tran, D. D., Huq, H., ... & Wester, P. (2015).
Trends in flood risk management in deltas around the world: Are we going'soft'?.
International Journal of Water Governance, 3(4), 25-46.