- Health: Loss of sanitation service due to floods and droughts 1 disproportionately affects incidence of diarrheal disease – cholera countries, cases, frequency and size of outbreak have all increased dramatically in recent years 2. Change in temperature is also causing vector-borne diseases, such a dengue fever, to thrive especially where wastewater management and drainage are poor 3.
- Institutions: Sanitation in schools and health care facilities is vulnerable to climate hazards such as flooding and sea level rise which damage infrastructure. This puts students, teachers, patients, family members, doctors, nurses, etc. at elevated risk of being exposed to diarrheal diseases. Climate events disrupt the education of 40 million children each year.
- Marine Ecosystems: Damaged sanitation systems release sewage into marine ecosystems, damaging mangrove forests, coral reefs, and seagrass beds. These ecosystems sequester carbon at 35 times faster than terrestrial forests 4.
- Emissions: Poorly managed sanitation is a significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter, primarily through methane from sludge. One assessment estimated that nearly 50% of a city’s GHG emissions came from sanitation 5.
Figure 1 Interrelationship of sanitation and the climate crisis.
To address this situation, in 2022 the Climate Resilient Sanitation Coalition was launched in response to the joint Call to Action launched at COP27. The Coalition was formalised under the vision of:
Integrating sanitation into global and national climate policy & practice; and
integrating climate into global and national sanitation policy & practice.
The coalition is a growing collaboration of international organisations, research organisations and practitioners working collectively towards improved prioritisation, capacity and investment in climate resilient sanitation. Currently Coalition members represent almost 35 organisations implementing climate resilient sanitation (CRS) programs in almost 80 countries.
Figure 2 CRSC Member Activity Countries
Coalition Members
Activities
Operating at a global level, the Coalition currently has five workstreams:
- Integrate sanitation into global and national climate policy and practice (e.g., development of a sanitation annex for the GCF Global Guidelines).
- Support national governments with tools, evidence, and expertise to incorporate CRS into government policies, plans, and strategies (e.g., National Adaptation Plans and Nationally Determined Contributions).
- Increase the prominence of sanitation in climate discussions through active dissemination of evidence and experiences.
- Attract finance to the climate resilient sanitation sector, including developing the relevant climate rationale.
- Build the evidence base for climate resilient sanitation, including in connection with adjacent sectors (e.g., water supply, solid waste management, agriculture, ecosystem management, education, health, environment, etc.).
Key Products
- Call to Action: Ensuring access to climate-resilient sanitation serviced for 3.6 billion people by 2030: A call to action for acceleration
- Opportunities for sustainable sanitation in climate action – Factsheet of Working Group 3
- Climate Resilient Urban Sanitation – Accelerating the Convergence of Sanitation and Climate Action
- Why Sanitation is Critical for Action Towards the Global Methane Pledge
- Access our member resources on sanitation and climate mitigation, adaptation and financing.
Nasser Tuqan and Elise Mann on behalf of the Climate Resilient Sanitation Coalition (CRSC) (2024)
Bridging Borders: The Role of Climate-Resilient Sanitation in Global Peace and Sustainability
CRSC Article - SIWI World Water Week 2024
As SIWI World Water Week 2024 kicks off in Stockholm this week, we are reminded of the profound importance of water and sanitation cooperation in fostering peace and security across the globe. This year's theme, "Bridging Borders: Water for a Peaceful and Sustainable Future," reminds us of the intricate interconnections […]
Willetts, J Kumar, A, Mills, F (2022)
Urban sanitation and climate change: A public service at risk
Landscape study
The study provides recent advances and adaptations in policy, planning and service delivery to better manage climate related risks in urban contexts. It also identifies actionable strategies to support efforts to improve climate resilience in urban sanitation and to strengthen the argument for their implementation
Mikhael, G., Hyde-Smith, L., Twyman, B., Trancón, D. S., Jabagi, E., & Bamford, E. (2021)
Climate Resilient Urban Sanitation
Accelerating the Convergence of Sanitation and Climate Action
Cities are incredibly vulnerable to climate change. Although sanitation is a critical urban system and service, it is not widely considered a climate change issue. While water has long been recognized as a central component of climate change adaptation, there is only sparse research and evidence on the impacts of […]
Bisi Agberemi
UNICEF • USA
Juliet Willetts
UTS • Australia
