Action for climate change mitigation must support the human right to safe water and sanitation

This policy brief finds that interventions in water and sanitation can help reduce carbon emissions, especially by limiting methane gas emissions from sanitation. Systematic assessment of greenhouse gas emissions from technologies across the sanitation service delivery chain is needed for better decision-making, and climate action decision makers should promote investments that benefit the most vulnerable people. The policy brief includes short case studies from Kenya and Uganda.

This is one of four policy briefs that highlight challenges, good practices and dilemmas and provide examples to inspire climate action in the WASH sector. They support policymakers and practitioners to promote ways to mitigate and adapt to climate change while strengthening efforts to fulfil the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation. The policy briefs are based on the experiences of Dutch funded climate change adaptation and mitigation initiatives in the sectors and discussions with actors looking for ways to integrate climate action with activities to strengthen water and sanitation services for people in vulnerable situations. The other three are on: climate change adaptation; climate change resilience and vulnerability; and climate change and finance.