Podcast: WASH as a solution to climate change

Listen to "WASH as a solution to climate change" on Spreaker.

WASH doesn’t have to be another casualty of climate change but can be a part of the solution, according to the experts who joined Devex in the latest episode of the WASH Works podcast.

According to UNICEF, between 2001 and 2018, 74% of natural disasters were water-related, including droughts and floods. These have the ability to impact water availability and contaminate existing water supplies.

But aside from being another problem to fix post-crisis, “water and sanitation offer resilient opportunities for addressing climate,” Catarina de Albuquerque, CEO at Sanitation and Water for All, said. For example, human feces can be used to improve soil, create renewable natural gas, and contribute to better sanitation systems that will lead to better health, she explained.

Amid the three crises the world currently faces — health, economic, and environmental — WASH is an indispensable piece of the “complicated jigsaw,” de Albuquerque said.

This comes as the first Water Pavilion wraps up at COP 26 in Glasgow. The pavilion, hosted by the Stockholm International Water Institute, aimed to mobilize the water community, as well as others in the climate space, to highlight the role of water in achieving the Paris Agreement.

In a new episode of WASH Works podcast, Devex explores how a lack of WASH might impact progress on the broader sustainable development agenda, including climate change. WASH Works taps into global perspectives and recommendations for changes, as well as taking a look at what local initiatives are simultaneously tackling challenges on the ground.

For the third episode, Devex spoke to de Albuquerque as well as Saleemul Huq, director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development in Bangladesh, and Aishwarya Pramod, accelerator and investment manager at the Toilet Board Coalition about the intersection of WASH and climate and what actions can be taken to push forward progress in both Sustainable Development Goal 13 on climate action and SDG 6 on clean water and sanitation.

Listen to the latest episode, and in case you missed the first two episodes, you can listen to them through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Spreaker.

Visit the WASH Works series for more coverage on water, sanitation, and hygiene — and importantly, how WASH efforts intersect with other development challenges. You can join the conversation using the hashtag #WASHWorks.