Climate change is not a future possibility for Puerto Rico; it is a current threat. In addition to the economic and environmental consequences of climate change, Puerto Rico faces health effects.
Recent flooding gives an example. The Island was recently declared a disaster area in the wake of flooding and landslides. How are these connected with climate change?
How climate change makes flooding worse
Hurricane Ernesto was still a named tropical storm when it hit Puerto Rico. Warmer air holds more moisture, increasing storm activity, and rising sea levels add to the problem. We now see more hurricanes than we did in the past, they’re stronger, and they drop more rain.
Along with the increasing storm activity, Puerto Rico is seeing more buildup and more hard surfaces near the coastline. Much of Puerto Rico’s watershed is now covered with impervious surfaces that don’t allow water to be absorbed. Thousands of people now live in areas that are subject to flooding.
With a fragile electrical grid and power plants near the water line and scarcely six feet above sea level, Puerto Rico is vulnerable to flood-induced power outages. This problem is exacerbated by the increasing storm activity and rising sea levels.
How flooding affects health
Water contamination is a common problem following flooding. Water-borne diseases like leptospirosis broke out after Hurricane Maria, and meliodoisis has been reported after flooding. Typhoid and cholera are known to follow flooding and could be dangers in Puerto Rico.
Even without the spread of water-borne illnesses, contact with contaminated water can cause rashes, infected wounds, and gastrointestinal problems. Contaminated water can also cause outbreaks of salmonella and other such diseases from contaminated crops.
The destruction of crops by floods increases food insecurity, too. Puerto Rico already has high levels of food insecurity — 40% is the common estimate — and a reliance on imported food that increases food costs. Crops lost to local flooding make the situation worse.
Mold in drenched buildings continues to have health effects even after flooding has ended. A lack of electricity and running water have their own health consequences, which can be severe.
Other extreme weather events
Flooding is not the only issue. Landslides, mudslides, extreme heat, and hurricanes carry their own dangers apart from flooding. Warming temperatures can expand the range of disease vectors like mosquitoes carrying dengue fever. Animals displaced from their natural habitats by climate change can pose dangers, too.
The effects of multiple disasters can include stress, PTSD, and other mental health issues as well. And since all these factors are interconnected, each added stress can make existing conditions worse and all can make other health issues worse.
Could statehood help?
Becoming a state will not change Puerto Rico’s location, which is a big factor in its vulnerability to climate change. But being a territory has two important consequences that keep Puerto Rico from being able to make changes that could improve our chances for the future.
First, with a limited voice in the federal government, Puerto Rico has little chance to fight for climate support. No state would tolerate the condition of the electrical power system on the Island. The fragility of Puerto Rico’s infrastructure is a direct result of having no voting members in Congress, no senators, and no vote in presidential elections. As a state, Puerto Rico will have more representatives and a stronger voice in decision making in the federal government.
Second, statehood will bring greater prosperity to Puerto Rico as it did for every territory that has already become a state — 32 of them. Many of the problems with health, flooding, and climate change that show up in Puerto Rico are made worse by the economic weakness of the Island. Statehood has improved economic conditions for every single state compared with its position as a territory. There is no reason to think that Puerto Rico would be different.
Reach out to your representatives and let them know that you support statehood for Puerto Rico. Ask your friends and family in the states to do the same. Elected representatives focus on the things their voters tell them about. We must make it clear to our representatives that Puerto Rico’s political status matters.
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