Towards win-win solutions for sanitation policy and climate action

The document highlights a significant gap in climate action and finance regarding sanitation, noting that while the IPCC identifies sanitation as a key measure for reducing climate vulnerability, it is largely absent from Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and climate funding. It examines how sanitation systems contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane from anaerobic decomposition, and suggests that shifting from pit latrines to composting toilets or biogas systems can mitigate these impacts. The brief recommends improving research on climate-sanitation links, adapting planning frameworks like the WHO Sanitation Safety Planning approach, and increasing the capacity of sector stakeholders to mobilize climate finance.

• Sanitation is critically underrepresented in national climate priorities and international funding. Only 2% of activities in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) related to SDG 6 focus on sanitation, and 3% focus on wastewater management. Furthermore, funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) for sanitation-related work was less than 0.025% of all approved project budgets as of 1 April 2019, and only 3% of climate-related official development assistance (ODA) for the water and sanitation sector in 2017 targeted basic sanitation and large systems.
• Climate adaptation investments in sanitation are overly focused on physical hardware rather than more cost-effective 'soft' measures. Current investments typically target 'flood-proofing' toilets or separating stormwater from domestic wastewater. However, 'soft' measures—including improved planning, regulatory arrangements, capacity building, and public awareness—can often provide greater positive impacts on climate resilience for a smaller investment, yet they are harder to justify under current climate finance eligibility criteria.
• Sanitation services are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, primarily through the anaerobic decomposition of organic human waste which produces methane. In China, the growth of wastewater treatment plants led to a 400% increase in domestic wastewater GHG emissions between 2000 and 2014. In Chile, emissions from wastewater and sludge production in the metropolitan area of Santiago are projected to account for approximately half of the country's national emissions by 2027.
• Switching sanitation technologies can significantly reduce methane emissions and provide co-benefits. While pit latrines—the default in many low- and middle-income countries—produce significant methane (especially in high water table areas), composting toilets produce less methane and create agricultural fertilizers. Additionally, off-site composting of faeces for all slum residents worldwide could mitigate 3.97 Tg of methane annually, representing 13% to 44% of all sanitation-related methane emissions.

APA

Dickin, S., Andersson, K., & Trimmer, C. (2020). Towards win-win solutions for sanitation policy and climate action. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/200921b-trimmer-dickin-toilets-and-climate-pb-2006e.pdf

Chicago

Dickin, Sarah, Kim Andersson, and Caspar Trimmer. Towards win-win solutions for sanitation policy and climate action. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2020. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/200921b-trimmer-dickin-toilets-and-climate-pb-2006e.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dickin |first1=Sarah |last2=Andersson |first2=Kim |last3=Trimmer |first3=Caspar |title=Towards win-win solutions for sanitation policy and climate action |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=September 2020 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/200921b-trimmer-dickin-toilets-and-climate-pb-2006e.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dickin2020towards, author = {Dickin, Sarah and Andersson, Kim and Trimmer, Caspar}, title = {{Towards win-win solutions for sanitation policy and climate action}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2020}, month = sep, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/200921b-trimmer-dickin-toilets-and-climate-pb-2006e.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }