Towards win-win solutions for sanitation policy and climate action

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute argues that sanitation is a critical but neglected component of climate action. It highlights the gap between the potential of sanitation to reduce climate vulnerability and the actual lack of integration in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and climate finance. The document outlines how sanitation services contribute to greenhouse gas emissions through anaerobic decomposition and energy-intensive treatment, while proposing a framework for better policy coherence through research, planning, and capacity development.

• There is a significant disconnect between the recognized importance of sanitation for climate resilience and its actual inclusion in national climate policies and funding. Only 2% of activities in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) related to SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) 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 hardware 'add-ons'—such as flood-proofing—because concrete technological investments are easier to justify for climate finance. The document argues that 'soft' adaptation measures, including improved planning, regulatory arrangements, and capacity building, can often provide greater positive impacts on climate resilience for a smaller investment.
• Sanitation services are a source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, primarily through the anaerobic decomposition of organic human waste which produces methane, as well as the energy required for transport and treatment. For example, domestic wastewater GHG emissions in China increased by 400% between 2000 and 2014 due to urbanization and more treatment plants. 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.
• The choice of sanitation technology significantly impacts methane emissions. Pit latrines, the default in many low- and middle-income countries, produce significant methane, especially in areas with high water tables. On-site composting toilets are presented as a lower-methane alternative that also provides agricultural fertilizers. Additionally, the document notes that 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} }