Annual HESI Emerging Issues Meeting June 8, 2011

Transcription

1 Emerging Issue: Modeling the Environmental Impact From Water Withdrawal and Disposal Across the Life-Cycle of Products Gert Van Hoof (P&G) and Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta (USEPA) Annual HESI Emerging Issues Meeting June 8, 2011

2 Agenda Characterization of the Problem and Challenges Sustainability and Sustainable Solutions Sustainable Water Management US EPA s Safe and Sustainable Water Resources Research Program Sustainable water management in Industry - Water Foot Print Opportunity for HESI 2

3 20 th Century Challenges and 40 Years of Progress in Protecting Aquatic Resources in the US Cuyahoga River, 1969 Love Canal, Acid Rain impacts to water quality 1993 Cryptosporidium outbreak

4 21 st Century Challenges Rate of waters listed for impairment exceeds rate at which they are being restored Causes of degradation are more complex; less visible Multiple sources of pollution requiring new, innovative approaches Key challenges include: aging water infrastructure - pathogens legacy and emerging contaminants - nutrients competing demands for water 4

5 Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them. A. Einstein

6 Sustainability and Sustainable Solutions Sustainability NEPA, 1970: conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, and fulfill the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations of Americans Gro Bruntland Report, 1987: Meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

7 Sustainability and Sustainable Solutions Sustainable Solutions A system intervention that offers measurable improvements in an integrated set of sustainability indicators (economic, social, and environmental) such that the projected outcomes are valued by stakeholders in the affected system (s)

8 EPA is making changes to better address the complex environmental problems facing our nation today and in the future. Strengthen collaborations Emphasize sustainable solutions Advance innovation Employ integrated transdisciplinary research Apply systems thinking and life cycle approaches Sustainability emphasized government wide

9 Overarching Goals Protect public health and the environment Provide safe and sustainable water to meet societal, economic and environmental needs Water resources are managed in a sustainable manner that: integrates drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, and reclaimed water; maximizes energy production, nutrients and materials management, and water recovery; and incorporates comprehensive water planning (such as low impact development and smart growth) and optimum combinations of built, green and natural infrastructure 9

10 ORIGINS OF THE PROBLEMS Urbanization Including: Land use management Industrial Processes MANIFESTIONS OF THE PROBLEM IN THE WATER ENVIRONMENT Poor Water Quality Physical processes (e.g.,flow; degraded habitat) Loadings: Nutrients, Pathogens, Chemicals, Sediments Additional stressors: SYSTEMS APPROACH TO SOLUTIONS Sustainable Water Resources Ensure safe and sustainable water quality and availability to protect human and ecosystem health by integrating social, economic and environmental research for use in protecting and restoring water resources and their designated uses (e.g., drinking water, recreation, industrial processes, and other designated uses) on a watershed scale. Population demographics aging drinking water and wastewater infrastructure Non point source pollution Agriculture Insufficient Water Quantity Climate change and variability NEW FOCUS - Pro-active, Integrated, Sustainable Solutions Sustainable Water Infrastructure Systems Ensure the sustainability of critical water resources using systems-integrated water resource management where the natural, green and built water infrastructure is capable of producing, storing and delivering safe and high quality drinking water, and providing transport and use-specific treatment of wastewater and stormwater.

11 Sustainable Water Resource Systems Raw materials Economy products & services Public Health & Communities water supply extractive uses: energy, irrigation, industrial processes freshwater depletion recycled water runoff and wastewater human exposure infrastructure Water Environment water cycle provides ecosystem services ecosystem degradation recreational and cultural uses

12 Sustainable water management in industry Freshwater scarcity growing Freshwater may limit economic development in emerging markets Stakeholders request for water policy Water Risks for companies for unsustainable use of water resources Risks: physical, reputational, regulatory Water is everywhere in ecology and economy Water footprint

13 Issues for sustainable water management Existing methods are inadequate Misinterpretation Lack of agreed methodology How deal with trade-offs (energy vs. water)? Is water footprint a solution? L / kg beef 13

14 What is a water footprint? Volume of fresh water needed to produce and use the product, summed over the various steps of the life cycle Water footprints (WF) Country footprinting Site footprinting Product footprinting = subset of life cycle study

15 Water Footprint Methods Water Footprint Network (WFN) Univ of Nijmegen (Netherlands) Very influential, started in 2008 Consortium of large companies/ngos Coca-Cola Unilever WWF 2700 L / cotton shirt Water Footprint manual

16 Water framework Characterizing water uses: Blue water: consumptive use of surface waters Green water: rain water to grow crops Grey water: dilution water for bringing pollution (chemical, biological, thermal) to water quality standards 16

17 Water footprint impact assessment Where is the water footprint located? Main producing regions Producing countries Where are water systems stressed? Water stress (withdrawal-to-availability) < > 1.0 Hotspots Water stress (withdrawal-to-availability) < > 1.0 Main producing regions Hotspots

18 Relevant WF method Water (L) Water stress index (m 3 -eq) Source: Riddout BG and Pfister S (2010), A revised approach to waterfootprint to make transparent the impacts of consumption and production on global freshwater scarcity. Global Environmental Change 20,

19 Water footprint questions Disperse vs. point sources water withdrawal Model requirements/limitations System boundaries for water footprint Should WF include withdrawal and release Temporal changes What if scarcity is largely changing over seasons 19

20 Why HESI? Water is an important resource for all its members Use in products intended for consumers Use in manufacturing As an alternative energy resource Many others Tripartite solution is needed which balances needs of all stakeholders Non-agricultural context Access to members with expertise in modeling 20

21 HESI COMBINED CHALLENGES MAP Relative impact Animal use and welfare Vaccine development, use, and safety Genomics Human health: scientific evaluation of sensitive populations Sustainability Stem cell technology Food safety Communication and perception of risk versus benefit Improved risk assessment through biomonitoring and epidemiology Risk / benefit: regulation of chemicals in commerce Translational biomarkers Risk assessment of sensitive / vulnerable populations Environmental quality Emerging contaminants Safety of genetically modified organisms and foods Regulatory framework for new methods Computational tools / toxicology Use of science in setting public policy Omics in risk assessment Risk assessment of coexposures Nanomaterials / nanotechnology Paradigm shifts in risk assessment / life cycle assessment Stem cell therapy Individual susceptibility Improved testing and assessment strategies Regulatory framework for carcinogenicity testing Alternatives to animal models Epigenetics in risk assessment Exposure-based risk assessment Improved biomonitoring through biomarkers Time: immediate (2010) to long-term (2020) 21

22 Benefits HESI Identify relevant water impact uses and supporting data needs for HESI members Provide basis for sustainable water management in value chain Be seen leading this effort which is of utmost importance to human and environmental health Consistent with the HESI Scientific Map and priorities Scientific community Modeling expertise Diverse constituencies HESI organizational support

23 How? Several Options Exist Workshop Identify research needs, important questions, priorities Create network with experts Construct an actionable work program Research program (mid to longer term) Prioritize method and database development as an example 23

24 QUESTIONS? 24