The costs of drought: the 2007/2008 case of Barcelona

Water Policy ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 539-560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Martin-Ortega ◽  
Mikel González-Eguino ◽  
Anil Markandya
Keyword(s):  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Extreme Event ◽  
Indirect Costs ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Drought Event ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
Welfare Losses ◽  
Household Water ◽  
The Cost

Water scarcity and drought are social and economic problems in large parts of the world that will intensify due to climate change. The existing literature on the costs of drought is scarce, fragmented and heterogeneous and there is a need for comprehensive cost estimations to help design an effective policy response. This is particularly the case in Europe, which is currently developing its drought strategy. The severe drought that affected Barcelona in 2007/2008 is used here as a case study to illustrate the costs of this type of extreme event. We assess direct losses of the affected economic sectors, indirect costs to the rest of the economy and non-market welfare losses caused by environmental damage and household water restrictions. Additionally, we also look at the cost of the measures implemented to address the drought and discuss the implications in terms of their cost-effectiveness. Our results indicate a total cost of this drought event of 1,605 million Euros (0.48% of the regional GDP) and highlight the need for more accurate cost estimations at the European level. The study also points to the need to promote water saving measures and to increase the structural adaptive capacity of systems subjected to water scarcity.

scholarly journals Can There be Water Scarcity with Abundance of Water? Analyzing Water Stress during a Severe Drought in Finland

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauri Ahopelto ◽  
Noora Veijalainen ◽  
Joseph Guillaume ◽  
Marko Keskinen ◽  
Mika Marttunen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Water Security ◽  
River Basin Management ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Drought Event ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
Availability Analysis ◽  
River Basin Management Plans ◽  
Management Plans

Severe droughts can affect water security even in countries with ample water resources. In addition, droughts are estimated to become more frequent in several regions due to changing climate. Drought affects many socio-economic sectors (e.g., agriculture, water supply, and industry), as it did in 2018 in Finland. Understanding the basin-wide picture is crucial in drought management planning. To identify vulnerable and water stressed areas in Finland, a water use-to-availability analysis was executed with a reference drought. Water stress was analyzed with the Water Depletion Index WDI. The analysis was executed using national water permits and databases. To represent a severe but realistic drought event, we modelled discharges and runoffs from the worst drought of the last century in Finland (1939–1942). The potential for performing similar analyses in data scarce contexts was also tested using estimates from global models as a screening tool. The results show that the South and Southwest of Finland would have problems with water availability during a severe drought. The most vulnerable areas would benefit from drought mitigation measures and management plans. These measures could be incorporated into the EU River Basin Management Plans.

scholarly journals Modeling regional impacts and resilience to water service disruptions in urban economies

2021 ◽  
pp. 239980832199870
Author(s):  
Sheree A Pagsuyoin ◽  
Joost R Santos
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Urban Region ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Drought Severity ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Time Varying ◽  
National Capital Region ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
The Impact

Water is a critical natural resource that sustains the productivity of many economic sectors, whether directly or indirectly. Climate change alongside rapid growth and development are a threat to water sustainability and regional productivity. In this paper, we develop an extension to the economic input-output model to assess the impact of water supply disruptions to regional economies. The model utilizes the inoperability variable, which measures the extent to which an infrastructure system or economic sector is unable to deliver its intended output. While the inoperability concept has been utilized in previous applications, this paper offers extensions that capture the time-varying nature of inoperability as the sectors recover from a disruptive event, such as drought. The model extension is capable of inserting inoperability adjustments within the drought timeline to capture time-varying likelihoods and severities, as well as the dependencies of various economic sectors on water. The model was applied to case studies of severe drought in two regions: (1) the state of Massachusetts (MA) and (2) the US National Capital Region (NCR). These regions were selected to contrast drought resilience between a mixed urban–rural region (MA) and a highly urban region (NCR). These regions also have comparable overall gross domestic products despite significant differences in the distribution and share of the economic sectors comprising each region. The results of the case studies indicate that in both regions, the utility and real estate sectors suffer the largest economic loss; nonetheless, results also identify region-specific sectors that incur significant losses. For the NCR, three sectors in the top 10 ranking of highest economic losses are government-related, whereas in the MA, four sectors in the top 10 are manufacturing sectors. Furthermore, the accommodation sector has also been included in the NCR case intuitively because of the high concentration of museums and famous landmarks. In contrast, the Wholesale Trade sector was among the sectors with the highest economic losses in the MA case study because of its large geographic size conducive for warehouses used as nodes for large-scale supply chain networks. Future modeling extensions could potentially include analysis of water demand and supply management strategies that can enhance regional resilience against droughts. Other regional case studies can also be pursued in future efforts to analyze various categories of drought severity beyond the case studies featured in this paper.

scholarly journals Healthcare Expenditures Associated with Heart Failure in Saudi Arabia: A Cost of Illness Study

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 988
Author(s):  
Ahmed Alghamdi ◽  
Eman Algarni ◽  
Bander Balkhi ◽  
Abdulaziz Altowaijri ◽  
Abdulaziz Alhossan
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Cost Of Illness ◽  
Economic Burden ◽  
Indirect Costs ◽  
Health Care Expenditures ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Hospitalization Costs ◽  
Illness Study ◽  
The Cost

Heart failure (HF) is considered to be a global health problem that generates a significant economic burden. Despite the growing prevalence in Saudi Arabia, the economic burden of HF is not well studied. The aim of this study was to estimate the health care expenditures associated with HF in Saudi Arabia from a social perspective. We conducted a multicenter cost of illness (COI) study in two large governmental centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia using 369 HF patients. A COI model was developed in order to estimate the direct medical costs associated with HF. The indirect costs of HF were estimated based on a human capital approach. Descriptive and inferential statistics were analyzed. The direct medical cost per HF patient was $9563. Hospitalization costs were the major driver in total spending, followed by medication and diagnostics costs. The cost significantly increased in line with the disease progression, ranging from $3671 in class I to $16,447 in class IV. The indirect costs per working HF patient were $4628 due to absenteeism, and $6388 due to presenteeism. The economic burden of HF is significantly high in Saudi Arabia. Decision makers need to focus on allocating resources towards strategies that prevent frequent hospitalizations and improve HF management and patient outcomes in order to lower the growing economic burden.

The Direct and Indirect Costs of Treating the Victims of the 2016 Nice Terror Attacks in a Single Pediatric Hospital

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Federico Solla ◽  
Eytan Ellenberg ◽  
Virginie Rampal ◽  
Julien Margaine ◽  
Charles Musoff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Indirect Costs ◽  
Medical Costs ◽  
Pediatric Hospital ◽  
Terror Attack ◽  
Direct And Indirect Costs ◽  
Terror Attacks ◽  
Direct Medical Costs ◽  
Annual Budget ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Cost

Abstract Objective: To analyze the cost of the terror attack in Nice in a single pediatric institution. Methods: We carried out descriptive analyses of the data coming from the Lenval University Children’s Hospital of Nice database after the July 14, 2016 terror attack. The medical cost for each patient was estimated from the invoice that the hospital sent to public insurance. The indirect costs were calculated from the hospital’s accounting, as the items that were previously absent or the difference between costs in 2016 versus the previous year. Results: The costs total 1.56 million USD, corresponding to 2% of Lenval Hospital’s 2016 annual budget. Direct medical costs represented 9% of the total cost. The indirect costs were related to human resources (overtime, sick leave), revenue shortfall, and security and psychiatric reinforcement. Conclusion: Indirect costs had a greater impact than did direct medical costs. Examining the level and variety of direct and indirect costs will lead to a better understanding of the consequences of terror acts and to improved preparation for future attacks.

scholarly journals SWK-11. ASSESSMENT OF THE INDIRECT COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH PROTON THERAPY TREATMENT FOR ALBERTA PATIENTS REFERRED OUT OF COUNTRY

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. iii466-iii466
Author(s):  
Karina Black ◽  
Jackie Middleton ◽  
Sunita Ghosh ◽  
David Eisenstat ◽  
Samor Patel
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Proton Therapy ◽  
Malignant Tumors ◽  
Indirect Costs ◽  
The United States ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Opportunity Costs ◽  
Proton Treatment ◽  
Out Of Pocket Expenses ◽  
The Cost

Abstract BACKGROUND Proton therapy for benign and malignant tumors has dosimetric and clinical advantages over photon therapy. Patients in Alberta, Canada are referred to the United States for proton treatment. The Alberta Heath Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP) pays for the proton treatment and the cost of flights to and from the United States (direct costs). This study aimed to determine the out-of-pocket expenses incurred by patients or their families (indirect costs). METHODS Invitation letters linked to an electronic survey were mailed to patients treated with protons between 2008 and 2018. Expenses for flights for other family members, accommodations, transportation, food, passports, insurance, and opportunity costs including lost wages and productivity were measured. RESULTS Fifty-nine invitation letters were mailed. Seventeen surveys were completed (28.8% response rate). One paper survey was mailed at participant request. Nine respondents were from parent/guardian, 8 from patients. All patients were accompanied to the US by a family member/friend. Considerable variability in costs and reimbursements were reported. Many of the accompanying family/friends had to miss work; only 3 patients themselves reported missed work. Time away from work varied, and varied as to whether it was paid or unpaid time off. CONCLUSIONS Respondents incurred indirect monetary and opportunity costs which were not covered by AHCIP when traveling out of country for proton therapy. Prospective studies could help provide current data minimizing recall bias. These data may be helpful for administrators in assessing the societal cost of out-of-country referral of patients for proton therapy.

scholarly journals THU0548 THE ECONOMIC BURDEN OF ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS IN SPAIN. RESULTS OF THE SPANISH ATLAS 2017

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 514.2-514
Author(s):  
M. Merino ◽  
O. Braçe ◽  
A. González ◽  
Á. Hidalgo-Vega ◽  
M. Garrido-Cumbrera ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Ankylosing Spondylitis ◽  
Health Care Costs ◽  
Health Care Cost ◽  
Labour Productivity ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Indirect Costs ◽  
Productivity Losses ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Care Costs

Background:Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a disease associated with a high number of comorbidities, chronic pain, functional disability, and resource consumption.Objectives:This study aimed to estimate the burden of disease for patients diagnosed with AS in Spain.Methods:Data from 578 unselected patients with AS were collected in 2016 for the Spanish Atlas of Axial Spondyloarthritis via an online survey. The estimated costs were: Direct Health Care Costs (borne by the National Health System, NHS) and Direct Non-Health Care Costs (borne by patients) were estimated with the bottom-up method, multiplying the resource consumption by the unit price of each resource. Indirect Costs (labour productivity losses) were estimated using the human capital method. Costs were compared between levels of disease activity using the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) score (<4 or low inflammation versus ≥4 or high inflammation) and risk of mental distress using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) score (<3 or low risk versus ≥3 or high risk).Results:The average annual cost per patient with AS in 2015 amounted to €11,462.3 (± 13,745.5) per patient. Direct Health Care Cost meant an annual average of €6,999.8 (± 9,216.8) per patient, to which an annual average of €611.3 (± 1,276.5) per patient associated with Direct Non-Health Care Cost borne by patients must be added. Pharmacological treatment accounted for the largest percentage of the costs borne by the NHS (64.6%), while for patients most of the cost was attributed to rehabilitative therapies and/or physical activity (91%). The average annual Indirect Costs derived from labour productivity losses were €3,851.2 (± 8,484.0) per patient, mainly associated to absenteeism. All categories showed statistically significant differences (p<0.05) between BASDAI groups (<4 vs ≥4) except for the Direct Non-Healthcare Cost, showing a progressive rise in cost from low to high inflammation. Regarding the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), all categories showed statistically significant differences between GHQ-12 (<3 vs ≥3), with higher costs associated with higher risk of poor mental health (Table 1).Table 1.Average annual costs per patient according to BASDAI and GHQ-12 groups (in Euros, 2015)NDirect Health CostsDirect Non-Health CostsIndirect CostsTotal CostBASDAI<4917,592.0*557.32,426.5*10,575.8*≥43769,706.9*768.05,104.8*15,579.7*Psychological distress (GHQ-12)<31468,146.8*493.6*3,927.2*12,567.6*≥32609,772.9*807.2*4,512.3*15,092.5*Total5786,999.8611.33,851.211,462.3* p <0.05Conclusion:Direct Health Care Costs, and those attributed to pharmacological treatment in particular, accounted for the largest component of the cost associated with AS. However, a significant proportion of the overall costs can be further attributed to labour productivity losses.Acknowledgments:Funded by Novartis Farmacéutica S.A.Disclosure of Interests:María Merino: None declared, Olta Braçe: None declared, Almudena González: None declared, Álvaro Hidalgo-Vega: None declared, Marco Garrido-Cumbrera: None declared, Jordi Gratacos-Masmitja Grant/research support from: a grant from Pfizzer to study implementation of multidisciplinary units to manage PSA in SPAIN, Consultant of: Pfizzer, MSD, ABBVIE, Janssen, Amgen, BMS, Novartis, Lilly, Speakers bureau: Pfizzer, MSD, ABBVIE, Janssen, Amgen, BMS, Novartis, Lilly

scholarly journals Early transcriptional responses in Solanum peruvianum and Solanum lycopersicum account for different acclimation processes during water scarcity events

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Tapia ◽  
M. González ◽  
J. Burgos ◽  
M. V. Vega ◽  
J. Méndez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solanum Lycopersicum ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Plant Architecture ◽  
Early Response ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Water Shortages ◽  
Transcriptional Responses ◽  
Polyamine Biosynthesis ◽  
Tomato Species ◽  
Protein Ubiquitination

AbstractCultivated tomato Solanum lycopersicum (Slyc) is sensitive to water shortages, while its wild relative Solanum peruvianum L. (Sper), an herbaceous perennial small shrub, can grow under water scarcity and soil salinity environments. Plastic Sper modifies the plant architecture when suffering from drought, which is mediated by the replacement of leaf organs, among other changes. The early events that trigger acclimation and improve these morphological traits are unknown. In this study, a physiological and transcriptomic approach was used to understand the processes that differentiate the response in Slyc and Sper in the context of acclimation to stress and future consequences for plant architecture. In this regard, moderate (MD) and severe drought (SD) were imposed, mediating PEG treatments. The results showed a reduction in water and osmotic potential during stress, which correlated with the upregulation of sugar and proline metabolism-related genes. Additionally, the senescence-related genes FTSH6 protease and asparagine synthase were highly induced in both species. However, GO categories such as “protein ubiquitination” or “endopeptidase inhibitor activity” were differentially enriched in Sper and Slyc, respectively. Genes related to polyamine biosynthesis were induced, while several cyclins and kinetin were downregulated in Sper under drought treatments. Repression of photosynthesis-related genes was correlated with a higher reduction in the electron transport rate in Slyc than in Sper. Additionally, transcription factors from the ERF, WRKY and NAC families were commonly induced in Sper. Although some similar responses were induced in both species under drought stress, many important changes were detected to be differentially induced. This suggests that different pathways dictate the strategies to address the early response to drought and the consequent episodes in the acclimation process in both tomato species.

scholarly journals Joint Impacts of Drought and Habitat Fragmentation on Native Bee Assemblages in a California Biodiversity Hotspot

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 135
Author(s):  
Keng-Lou James Hung ◽  
Sara S. Sandoval ◽  
John S. Ascher ◽  
David A. Holway
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Fragmentation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Relative Magnitude ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Drought Event ◽  
Fragmented Habitat ◽  
Native Bee

Global climate change is causing more frequent and severe droughts, which could have serious repercussions for the maintenance of biodiversity. Here, we compare native bee assemblages collected via bowl traps before and after a severe drought event in 2014 in San Diego, California, and examine the relative magnitude of impacts from drought in fragmented habitat patches versus unfragmented natural reserves. Bee richness and diversity were higher in assemblages surveyed before the drought compared to those surveyed after the drought. However, bees belonging to the Lasioglossum subgenus Dialictus increased in abundance after the drought, driving increased representation by small-bodied, primitively eusocial, and generalist bees in post-drought assemblages. Conversely, among non-Dialictus bees, post-drought years were associated with decreased abundance and reduced representation by eusocial species. Drought effects were consistently greater in reserves, which supported more bee species, than in fragments, suggesting that fragmentation either had redundant impacts with drought, or ameliorated effects of drought by enhancing bees’ access to floral resources in irrigated urban environments. Shifts in assemblage composition associated with drought were three times greater compared to those associated with habitat fragmentation, highlighting the importance of understanding the impacts of large-scale climatic events relative to those associated with land use change.

scholarly journals National Economic Burden Associated with Management of Periodontitis in Malaysia

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuti Ningseh Mohd Dom ◽  
Rasidah Ayob ◽  
Khairiyah Abd Muttalib ◽  
Syed Mohamed Aljunid
Keyword(s):  
Societal Perspective ◽  
Economic Burden ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
National Level ◽  
Indirect Costs ◽  
Treatment Costs ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
National Economic ◽  
The Cost

Objectives. The aim of this study is to estimate the economic burden associated with the management of periodontitis in Malaysia from the societal perspective.Methods. We estimated the economic burden of periodontitis by combining the disease prevalence with its treatment costs. We estimated treatment costs (with 2012 value of Malaysian Ringgit) using the cost-of-illness approach and included both direct and indirect costs. We used the National Oral Health Survey for Adults (2010) data to estimate the prevalence of periodontitis and 2010 national census data to estimate the adult population at risk for periodontitis.Results. The economic burden of managing all cases of periodontitis at the national level from the societal perspective was approximately MYR 32.5 billion, accounting for 3.83% of the 2012 Gross Domestic Product of the country. It would cost the nation MYR 18.3 billion to treat patients with moderate periodontitis and MYR 13.7 billion to treat patients with severe periodontitis.Conclusion. The economic burden of periodontitis in Malaysia is substantial and comparable with that of other chronic diseases in the country. This is attributable to its high prevalence and high cost of treatment. Judicious application of promotive, preventive, and curative approaches to periodontitis management is decidedly warranted.

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