Sanitation is Climate Action: Unlocking Urban Resilience
Introduction
Climate change is reshaping the future of cities. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and frequent flooding are stretching urban infrastructure to its limits. Among the most vulnerable yet overlooked systems is sanitation. When pit latrines overflow during floods or untreated sludge releases methane into the atmosphere, the consequences extend far beyond health—they threaten water safety, accelerate climate change, and expose millions of people to risk.
Globally, poorly managed sanitation and wastewater contribute 3–7% of methane emissions—a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than CO₂ over 100 years (IPCC AR5, 2014). In Sub-Saharan Africa, over 70% of urban households rely on onsite sanitation systems that are highly climate-sensitive (UNICEF/WHO JMP, 2021).
At Sanivation, we believe sanitation must be recognized as climate action. By rethinking how waste is managed, cities can both cut emissions and adapt to a changing climate.
Exhauster Truck at FSTP Site
Sanitation for Climate Mitigation and Adaptation
Sanitation carries a dual climate impact:
Mitigation: Poorly managed waste emits methane and nitrous oxide, gases up to 300 times more potent than CO₂ (IPCC AR5). Circular sanitation model diverts waste from open dumping and transforms it into low-carbon biomass briquettes, reducing methane while displacing charcoal and heavy fuel oil. This avoids deforestation and curbs fossil fuel use.
Adaptation: With flooding events projected to increase by ~30% in East Africa by 2050 (IPCC AR6, 2021), climate-resilient sanitation infrastructure is essential. Traditional systems such as pit latrines or overloaded sewers are highly vulnerable to heavy rains, often leading to failures that threaten public health and the environment. Decentralized, service-focused approaches provide more reliable options for safe containment, treatment, and reuse of waste in flood-prone areas.
Urbanization as an Opportunity
Kenya’s fast-paced urbanization feels like a turning point. I believe that if we act now, our cities can grow without repeating the high-carbon, fragile infrastructure choices of the past. By making climate-smart sanitation part of city plans, we have the chance to respond to the climate crisis, not only by reducing emissions, but also by tackling water scarcity, flooding risks, and public health threats while creating cleaner energy, safer water, and healthier environments for millions
Partnerships Build Resilience
This isn’t a challenge any single actor can solve. That’s why we’re working with water utilities, local governments, and service providers to strengthen services across the entire sanitation value chain. By aligning operations with climate goals and building capacity within local institutions, we are helping create systems that are sustainable and can be scaled.
Systemwide, Cross-Sectoral Approaches
Sanitation does not exist in isolation. It intersects with water, health, housing, and energy. Building resilient cities requires systemwide and cross-sectoral approaches—connecting sanitation to energy transitions, water conservation, and public health. Sanivation’s integrated planning with local governments demonstrates how this can unlock investment and create lasting impact.
Turning wild-growing Prosopis to sustainable fuel in Turkana
Sanivation’s Climate Contribution
Our circular sanitation model is already delivering measurable results:
6,816 tons of fecal sludge safely managed (SDG 6).
7,066 tons of fuel briquettes sold (SDG 7).
700,000 tons CO₂e enabled (SDG 13).
195,270 trees saved from deforestation (SDG 15).
11 partnerships with local governments and utilities advancing urban resilience (SDG 17).
These numbers reflect a simple truth: when cities rethink waste, they unlock climate and development wins simultaneously.
Conclusion
Sanitation is not a secondary concern. It is essential for climate infrastructure. With the right investments, models like Sanivation’s can reduce emissions, safeguard water, and help cities adapt to an uncertain climate future.
We call on governments to integrate climate-smart sanitation into national plans, on funders and investors to direct climate finance toward solutions with measurable impact, and on utilities and service providers to embrace resilient, decentralized approaches. By placing sanitation at the center of climate planning, we can protect health and dignity while building the foundations of greener, more resilient cities across Africa.
For more information, please reach out to us via email: info@sanivation.com
