By Nhilce Esquivel, Daniel Ddiba, and Carla Liera, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), with contributions from members of the Climate Resilient Sanitation Coalition

Krishnanagar Union in Satkhira district, Bangladesh, has always been surrounded by water, but water is no longer a friendly neighbor. Satkhira district, located in the southwest of the country, is close to the Bay of Bengal and hosts part of the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world.

Once water from all directions provided livelihoods, from rain filling rivers in dry seasons to mangrove waters providing fishing, and more. Now sea levels are rising, bringing salt into local soils. Rainfall patterns are changing, flooding rivers and causing high tides to be even higher. Water now threatens the municipality’s fragile infrastructure, including its sanitation.

As climate change worsens, Krishnanagar Union’s fragile infrastructure will be less able to cope with the impacts of floods, cyclones, high temperatures, and unpredictable rainfall. When sanitation infrastructure fails during these events, toilets will overflow, streets will flood with wastewater, and families will be left battling both the rising waters and the illnesses that follow.

Krishnanagar Union’s story is not unique. It echoes across countless villages around the world battling the same issues, highlighting the urgent need for inclusive actions, a political will, and financing mechanisms to ensure that communities on the frontlines of climate change get the help they need before it’s too late.

One way to do this will be to fund development of sanitation systems that are planned in ways that are resilient to climate change. The Green Climate Fund’s (GCF) guidelines that will be launched at the UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, are a step forward.

Bringing solutions to reality

The residents of Krishnanagar Union know they need solutions – resilient systems – but they also know that they can’t achieve these without help. With incomes of just USD 40 a month, many families are forced to take loans to make ends meet, unable to afford even the most basic improvements to their homes or sanitation systems when impacted by the diverse hazards they are at risk of.

“How many times can low-income people like us fix our toilets devastated by floods?” one young man said to researchers working on a participatory assessment in the city, examining how climate enhances water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) vulnerabilities. He was frustrated after repairing his latrine twice in a year, only for the next flood to undo the work.

Sanitation systems face increasing challenges due to climate change: cyclones (set to increase in intensity with climate change) destroy latrines; and flooding can cause sewers, septic tanks, and drainage systems to overflow. Subsequent contamination of water sources with animal and human waste can expose people to harmful pathogens, among other environmental impacts. The most severe effects are felt in low-income countries (LICs) and communities, where inadequate or damaged sanitation systems increase people’s vulnerability.

Sanitation systems also contribute to climate change by releasing methane and nitrous oxide – both greenhouse gases (GHGs) – through the decomposition of waste in poorly managed sanitation facilities and wastewater or sludge treatment plants. Yet, there is strong potential for reducing these emissions. Technologies such as biogas capture, regular desludging, and switching to aerobic treatment methods can reduce emissions while turning waste into a renewable energy source through resource recovery.

Bridging both mitigation and adaptation for climate-resilient sanitation requires substantial funding. The growing threat to sanitation systems from climate change, coupled with the lack of adequate financial support in climate policy, underpinned the GCF’s initiative to develop practical guidelines for designing climate-resilient sanitation projects.

Securing funding to secure sanitation

The soon-to-be-released guidelines are an annex that is part of the GCF’s overarching Water Security Sectoral Guide. They have been developed to provide guidance for designing projects and programs that tackle the climate crisis by implementing climate-resilient sanitation solutions, specifically aligned with the GCF’s objectives.

The guidelines aim to support organizations seeking GCF funding by providing a framework for integrating both mitigation (reducing emissions) and adaptation (increasing resilience) strategies within sanitation projects, ultimately enhancing resilience to climate impacts while addressing the global sanitation crisis. By aligning with the GCF’s investment criteria, countries and others can seek to secure funding to transform sanitation systems in ways that also meet national and global climate goals.

These guidelines have been co-developed through a collaborative effort by the Climate Resilient Sanitation Coalition, a global network of over 30 organizations dedicated to addressing the intersections of sanitation, climate resilience, and sustainable development. At the behest of the GCF, the coalition leveraged its collective expertise to co-create the guidelines with input from practitioners, policymakers, and researchers through an iterative and participatory process that started in the lead-up to COP 28.

The guidelines are intended for a diverse audience, including national governments who are interested in climate finance for sanitation. Each section includes actionable recommendations and practical examples that guide users in selecting interventions suited to specific climate risks and operational contexts. Additionally, they include steps on how to articulate a project’s alignment with the GCF’s core investment criteria, ensuring that projects are not only technically robust but also strategically compelling for funders.

Effective climate-resilient sanitation projects require active community participation. The guidelines emphasize the importance of involving local stakeholders in planning and implementation, ensuring that solutions are context-specific and sustainable in the long term. Furthermore, the guidelines advise on establishing effective monitoring and evaluation systems to track both the climate adaptation and GHG reduction impacts of sanitation projects.

Bringing sanitation solutions home – and to COP 29

Engaging local people, governments, and other stakeholders will be key to solving pressing WASH challenges, while thinking about both climate change impacts and the effects of sanitation on climate. The GCF’s new practical guidelines for designing climate-resilient sanitation projects will help, but they need to be included in climate planning and policy now.

The upcoming COP 29 in Baku will mark a pivotal moment for global sanitation. As countries refine their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and develop their adaptation plans, the guidelines provide an essential resource for aligning sanitation with national climate strategies and securing GCF funding. To truly leverage the potential of these guidelines, all stakeholders in the sanitation and climate resilience space need to act decisively.

National governments and policymakers should prioritize sanitation in climate action plans and mobilize resources to implement climate-resilient solutions. They should engage with the GCF to access funding that aligns with national adaptation strategies and addresses the sanitation gaps exacerbated by climate impacts.

Project implementers and accredited entities should utilize these guidelines to design projects that are eligible for GCF funding. They should focus on integrating climate rationale, community engagement, and circular economy principles into proposals to create sanitation systems that are both resilient and sustainable.

Local communities and civil society organizations (CSOs) should advocate for climate-resilient sanitation solutions that meet local needs. They should engage in project planning and monitoring to ensure these systems are adaptable and effective and support long-term health and environmental benefits for communities. These are essential for bottom-up approaches that ensure local ownership of climate-smart sanitation initiatives.