The Mystic River watershed is experiencing many impacts of climate change, including increasingly hotter summers, coastal and inland flooding, and toxic exposures during and after extreme weather events.
Like all living beings, people depend on their environment to live and thrive. So what does a changing environment mean for our health?
Credit: Climate Ready Boston
EXTREME HEAT:
Extreme heat can lead to heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and in the most severe cases, heat stroke. Extreme heat is the most deadly extreme weather event, causing more deaths than all other weather hazards (i.e. hurricanes, blizzards, floods) combined. As we experience more and more days above 90ºF, our communities will need to be prepared to avoid these heat-related illnesses.
What can you do to prepare?
Learn about the symptoms of heat-related illnesses so you know when to seek help
Follow heat safety tips to keep your body cool
Make a list of people to check on during extreme heat events — your friends and neighbors may need help to cool down and access resources like cooling centers
FLOODING:
Coastal and inland flooding can damage critical infrastructure and reduce access to important resources like transit, electricity, food, and clean water.
What can you do to prepare?
Assemble an emergency kit
Know your flood risk. Find out if your home, business, or school is in a floodplain.
Learn about how to stay safe during power outages
TOXIC EXPOSURES:
Extreme weather events can lead to increased exposure to air and water pollution. In Massachusetts, our stormwater infrastructure can become overwhelmed during intense rainstorms, leading stormwater systems to discharge raw sewage into our waterways to prevent back up into homes. These events are called Combined Sewer Overflows or CSOs. CSOs are a major source of bacterial pollution and make waterways dangerous to recreate in for up to 48 hours after an overflow occurs.
Additionally, the Mystic River watershed has many historical and current industrial sites. Damage to these industrial facilities during extreme weather may lead to the release of toxic chemicals into the air, soil, and water of the surrounding area. Heat waves increase the negative health effects of exposure to air pollution.
What can you do to prepare?
Sign up for combined sewer overflow notifications so you know when to avoid contact with the water
Learn what to do in a chemical emergency
Learn how to clean up safely if damage happens to your home
CUMULATIVE IMPACTS
Climate change is a risk multiplier. For example, if a heatwave leads to a power blackout, their combined effects on worker and resident health will be far worse than just one or the other. Additionally, repeated exposures can add up and lower thresholds for people experiencing mental and physical health issues.
These impacts are not felt evenly — people who lack the private resources to get out of harm’s way are disproportionately impacted by climate change and they face far more pollution in their day-to-day life. Low-income residents and workers of color and people with pre-existing health conditions are especially at risk.
To study these overlapping effects, MyRWA is partnering on an EPA-funded study in partnership with the Boston University School of Public Health called Advancing Community Resilience to Cumulative Climate Impacts in the Mystic River Watershed (ACRES). This project aims to identify and prioritize places and populations most at risk of climate change stressors and “develop candidate solutions that highlight health protection and equity alongside sustainability” (article).
“In addition to risks from flooding, storm surges, and heat islands, many communities also have a lot of industrial facilities as well as a lot of traffic and other sources of air pollution,” Jonathan Levy, BUSPH chair and professor of environmental health, says. “So we’re trying to understand how to best address the cumulative burden that these communities are experiencing as they face different climate and chemical stressors simultaneously.”
WHAT CAN CITIES AND TOWNS DO?
The Resilient Mystic Collaborative (RMC) is a partnership among 20 cities and towns in the Mystic River watershed. Founded in 2018, MyRWA helps senior municipal staff, community-based organizations, and other experts collaborate on climate resilient projects that prepare people and places for extreme weather. Since then, RMC communities have secured nearly $120 million in grants to decrease risks of harm from coastal flooding, stormwater flooding, and extreme heat.
Subscribe to MyRWA’s monthly e-newsletter and follow us on social media for updates on the ACRES study and more resources for staying safe during extreme weather events.
