Above, good local news reporting on Chicago area’s storm and sewage management system, which includes a massive series of tunnels and reservoirs in the area. Something I did not know.
It’s important because climate enhanced extreme rains are becoming more common across the world, straining infrastructure.
Chicago’s reservoirs have been filling up more regularly this year than ever before, and one result of those big ponds of sewage-heavy water – persistent and overwhelming foul stench pervades local communities.
Climate change is the enshittification of the planet.
And there will be more shit to go around. See Below.
A diarrhea-causing parasite has led to a growing outbreak in the United States that has sickened more than 1,000 people and sent dozens to hospital.
As of Wednesday, multiple states had reported cyclospora infections, which can cause watery diarrhea, bloating, fever and nausea.
While cases are common in the spring and summer, the current outbreak has led to an unusually high number, making it one of the largest the country has seen. No deaths have been reported.
Despite the rapid growth of the outbreak, a spokesperson for the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) said the agency is not investigating any outbreaks in Canada and that the parasite is “not commonly found on food and is not in drinking water in Canada.”
Cyclospora is less common than several other foodborne illnesses, including salmonella and E. coli. For years, few U.S. cyclospora outbreaks were reported annually. But the number began rising about a decade ago, with particularly notable spikes in 2018 and 2019. Experts attribute the increases to climate change and improved detection.
On Thursday, Michigan reported 1,251 cases — a significant increase from when officials first announced the outbreak last week. Most cases have been concentrated in the southeastern part of the state. As of Monday, its public health officials said 36 people had been hospitalized with the illness.
Michigan typically records about 50 cases a year.
Prompt to Gemini
Is our cyclosporiasis outbreak related to climate change?:
Yes, climate change is a key factor experts attribute to the rising frequency of Cyclospora outbreaks over the past decade. Warmer global temperatures and altered weather patterns help the Cyclospora parasite persist in the environment longer, which increases the risk of contamination in fresh, raw produce
The Climate Connection
- Warm and Damp Environments: Cyclospora parasites thrive in heat and moisture. Rising global temperatures and shifting weather patterns create ideal conditions for the parasite to reproduce and survive in agricultural settings. [1, 2]
- Contaminated Water Supplies: Climate change accelerates severe weather and heavy rainfall, which frequently washes feces-contaminated irrigation water into fields where fresh crops are grown. [1, 2, 3, 4]
- Imported Food Risks: Epidemiologists expect the source is linked to fresh produce imported from naturally warm, tropical regions in South and Central America, Southeast Asia, or Africa, where agricultural zones are increasingly impacted by extreme climate patterns. [1]
Here in Chicago we’ve been succeeding in cleaning up the Chicago River – I live downtown and the number of species they find in the river is increasing and is much better than decades ago. I’ve walked not too far down the South Branch and seen shrubs gnawed down by beavers living there, and I’d seen the famous “Chonkasaurus” in person while crossing over the river a bit north of downtown – both this year.
But yeah, Deep Tunnel, one of the biggest civil engineering projects in the country, was started and built for the weather we’ve been rapidly leaving behind. So the very flat land here, with all the pavement and with many homes built with basements, is going to be flooding more often, like the rest of the country. And when those big reservoirs can’t keep up with intensified rain – the lock on the end of the river is opened and everything goes out into Lake Michigan where our water intake cribs are. You get heavy storms, you get more chlorine at the treatment plant and you get beach closures.