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Untapped
Untapped
It's time to reimagine the toilet's potential.
Climate change: a threat and an opportunity for safe sanitation
Poor sanitation exacerbates waterborne illness such as diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid. As climate extremes become more common due to climate change, they will put stress on the world’s water and sanitation systems – many of which are aging, poorly planned, or nonexistent. This means more outbreaks of waterborne disease, and those without access to safely managed sanitation – almost half of the world’s population – are at the greatest risk.
Flooding and heavy rainfall overwhelm water and sanitation systems, leading to contamination of water sources with diarrheal pathogens and, ultimately, more diarrheal disease. Droughts and fires result in water scarcity, leading to the use of unsafe water sources and lower access to handwashing, which also causes increased diarrheal disease. Finally, climate change-linked famine and malnutrition will also put children at increased risk of all infectious disease, putting more urgency behind prevention efforts.
But well-planned sanitation holds untapped opportunity. With sanitation innovations, we could help mitigate future impacts of climate change while also addressing longstanding poor health outcomes due to insufficient sanitation.
- We could reimagine the toilet.
- We could save water and money through non-sewered sanitation systems.
- We could turn waste into fertilizer or energy.
- We could guarantee women and girls the safety and dignity of toilets, in turn lifting economies.
Sanitation systems are an untapped solution in climate change adaptation. Explore the evidence, learn about innovative sanitation efforts, and find out how you can help.
Droughts, floods, and famine are increasing due to the climate crisis. Among many impacts, these weather extremes are projected to increase the burden of water-linked diseases like diarrhea. This infographic explains the links between the climate crisis, sanitation, and diarrheal disease.
The impacts of a warming planet are projected to increase the burden of diarrheal disease, with an estimated 7% increase in diarrhea cases per every 1 degree Celsius of global warming.
Starting in 2030, the World Health Organization estimates 48,000 additional annual diarrheal deaths among children under 15 due to climate change’s impacts on water, sanitation, and nutrition.
Flooding, drought, water scarcity, overwhelmed water and sanitation systems, contaminated water sources.
We need to be prepared.
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Climate change means water change: flooding, drought, water scarcity, overwhelmed water and sanitation systems, and contaminated water sources. These changes will have significant health impacts, especially for those without access to safely managed sanitation systems.
Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are a crucial part of an integrated approach to preventing and treating diarrheal disease and mitigating the effects of climate change. Learn more about the state of WASH in our interactive report.
The majority of the water, sanitation, and nutrition health impacts of climate change will land on children. To address this, young people are taking the lead on climate efforts – and it’s time for adults to follow.
Sustainable sanitation saves energy, turns waste into resources, and protects communities from contamination and disease.
Safely managed sanitation systems that use minimal water and recycle waste into resources such as fertilizer are a promising climate-adaptive model for the future. Sanergy utilizes this type of model in Nairobi, Kenya.
It will take intersectoral collaboration to alleviate the climate-related health impacts of increased waterborne disease.
Sustainable toilet technology is here. Next up is collaboration and commercialization to take the innovations to scale.
In addition to improving health, universal access to safely managed sanitation systems would bring significant economic benefits for families, communities, and countries. Source: WaterAid/Vivid Economics
Environmental journalist Chelsea Wald's book Pipe Dreams details the problems with the world's current sanitation systems and envisions a world - a "lootopia" - where everyone has access to safe, sustainable sanitation that generates resources and helps our planet recover.
The health impacts of climate change will disproportionately affect women and girls. Women’s leadership will be key to mitigating the effects of climate change, and when women lead, the overall health of families and communities improves.
Doubling down to prevent diarrheal disease is a form of climate change adaptation, argues climate researcher Dr. Karen Levy. Improving sanitation, vaccination, nutrition, and access to essential medicines will improve health now and help prepare for the effects of climate extremes in years to come.
By adapting to climate change, we can promote significant health and development benefits now and in the future. Climate adaptation measures that protect us from climate variability, such as improved sanitation, can also create resilience to storms and floods and enhance water security, directly contributing to health and development.
For every 1 degree temp increase, diarrhea cases will increase by 7%. Where and by which pathogen? That depends, explains Dr. Lantagne, Tufts University.
Coastal flooding, storm surges, cyclones. In Bangladesh, climate extremes are spreading cholera, forcing displacement, and interrupting access to school and work.
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Excess water from activities like dishwashing is called grey water. Using grey water to flush toilets is an efficient water-saving measure.
As temperature rises, so do the estimates of cholera burden.
When unlined pit latrines contaminated drinking water sources, Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor catalyzed entrepreneurs for pit emptying and better latrine construction—now a city-wide model in Lusaka, Zambia.
South Africa’s efforts to scale up access to sanitation through non-sewered approaches looks beyond technology to the enabling of a new sanitation services market. South Africa hopes to achieve universal access to safe toilets by 2030.
Among infrastructure investments that could help create prosperity in the years to come, one of the most powerful is universal access to taps and toilets – and a large part of those dividends results from empowering women. Additionally, the economic value of investments in water, sanitation, and hygiene is likely to rise due to the increasing impact of climate change.
A global collaboration led out of Georgia Tech has developed a reinvented toilet prototype for households that would be self-contained, not connected to a sewer. Innovations like this will help enable universal access to safe, sustainable sanitation.
Learn about the UN Climate Change Conference in November and use these resources to make your voice heard.
This resource gives African governments guidance for enhancing or developing clear and comprehensive national sanitation policies and programs.
Tell governments and business leaders to take urgent action against the climate crisis, focusing efforts on helping low-income countries bearing the first and worst impacts.