Water-borne diseases will increase as energy declines

Posted on July 21, 2016 by

Preface. Drinking water and sewage treatment plants are the main reason lifespans nearly doubled. Read Laurie Garrett’s  “Betrayal of Trust: The Collapse of Global Public Health” for details.

As energy declines, the ability of towns and cities to treat water and sewage (haul garbage, clean up superfund toxic waste sites, etc)., will decline, as this is both expensive in terms of money and energy. Currently, the vast majority of water delivery systems are falling apart and not being maintained or replaced despite energy abundance.

Below is the Center for Disease Control and Prevention list of water-borne diseases. A single asterisk (*) denotes Sanitation & Hygiene-Related Diseases. A double asterisk (**) indicates Vector or Insect-borne Diseases Associated with Water.

If you’re interested in building sophisticated water filters like the ones the Maya did centuries ago, check out this article: Tankersley KB et al (2020) Zeolite water purification at Tikal, an ancient Maya city in Guatemala, Scientific Reports. And this phys.org writeup here.

Alice Friedemann www.energyskeptic.com  author of “Life After Fossil Fuels: A Reality Check on Alternative Energy”, April 2021, Springer, “When Trucks Stop Running: Energy and the Future of Transportation”, 2015, Springer, Barriers to Making Algal Biofuels, and “Crunch! Whole Grain Artisan Chips and Crackers”. Podcasts: Collapse Chronicles, Derrick Jensen, Practical Prepping, KunstlerCast 253, KunstlerCast278, Peak Prosperity , XX2 report

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