Exercise: Water, Sanitation and Climate Change

This report is aimed at companies and investors seeking to understand how they can play their part in delivering a water-secure world. It presents analysis of the 2017 CDP water response data from a sample of 742 of the world’s largest publicly-listed companies. It sets out what a water-secure world looks like, the private sector actions that will contribute to its achievement, and how companies are overcoming the barriers to water security – most importantly, the failure to properly value our fresh water resources in today’s economy.

(2017): CDP: Global Water Report 2017. Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) URL PDF

This extensive technical paper addresses the observed and projected changes in climate as they relate to water, discusses impacts of climate change and water resources on sectors and systems, analyses regional aspects of climate change and water resources, discusses climate change mitigation measures and water, and policy implications. It is the sixth paper in the IPCC Technical Paper series.

BATES, B.C. ; KUNDZEWICZ, Z.W. ; WU, S. ; PALUTIKOF, J.P. (2008): Climate Change and Water. Technical Paper of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Geneva: IPCC Secretariat URL [Accessed: 24.07.2011]

This paper argues that water resources management should be a focus for climate change adaptation and that IWRM is the most suitable approach to adaptive action. It outlines the likely social, economic and environmental impacts of climate change; the challenges climate change poses for water resources management; the actions needed to address those challenges – investments in infrastructure, institutions and information; and approaches to financing IWRM for adaptation.

SADOFF, C. MULLER, M. (2009): Water Management, Water Security and Climate Change Adaptation: Early Impacts and Essential Responses. Stockholm: Global Water Partnership Technical Committee (TEC) URL [Accessed: 10.05.2010]

This factsheet of Sustainable Sanitation Alliance describes the impact of greenhouse gases on climate change and focuses on the advantages of renewable energies. Therefore many different technologies like production of biogas or short-rotation-plantations are mentioned.

SUSANA (2009): Links between Sanitation, Climate Change and Renewable Energies. Eschborn. (= SuSanA fact sheet 09/2009 ). Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA) URL [Accessed: 26.05.2019]

Flowing Forward develops guiding principles, processes, and methodologies for incorporating climate change adaptation for water sector projects with a particular emphasis on impacts on ecosystems.

QUESNE, T., Le MATTHEWS, J.H. HEYDEN, C. von der WICKEL, A.J. WILBY, R. HARTMANN, J. PEGRAM, G. KISTIN, E. BLATE, G. KIMURA DE FREITAS, G. LEVINE, E. GUTHRIE, C. MCSWEENEY, C. SINDORF, N. (2010): Flowing Forward. Freshwater ecosystem adaptation to climate change in water resources management and biodiversity conservation. World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) URL [Accessed: 05.01.2011]

The Vision 2030 study aims to increase our understanding of how anticipated climate change may affect drinking water and sanitation systems and what can be done to optimize resilience of infrastructure and services.

WHO (2009): Summary and policy implications Vision 2030: the resilience of water supply and sanitation in the face of climate change. Geneva: World Health Organisation (WHO) URL [Accessed: 21.04.2012]