The climate crisis is a water crisis. At COP29, we urged world leaders to invest in climate-resilient water, sanitation and hygiene without delay to ensure people can adapt to the impacts of climate change.
For two weeks in November 2024, world leaders met in Baku, Azerbaijan, for the 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) to move forward global and national plans to tackle the climate crisis.
As the most eagerly awaited decision of the summit, the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) established a new financial target for developed countries to provide to developing nations for climate action. But after a fraught negotiation process, countries agreed on a goal – $300bn a year – far below what many countries, NGOs and civil society organisations had been advocating for. The agreement satisfied almost no one and was met with public derision by India and a walkout from climate-vulnerable nations.
The disappointing outcome of the NCQG has raised critical concerns around how countries will finance their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). Nations already affected by the severe impacts of climate change will struggle to cut emissions, adapt to changes, and address the escalating costs of extreme events thanks to this chasmic finance gap – and all while the initial 1.5°C global warming target appears increasingly unattainable.
On the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), parties agreed a clearer process and guidelines for selected experts to suggest indicators to measure progress against the seven thematic targets, and that the indicators would include measures to track whether sufficient finance has been provided to reach the goal. However, decisions did not include any concrete or quantitative financial commitments for supporting the implementation of the goal, and with no adaptation subgoal in the NCQG, it remains unclear how these efforts will be funded.
The Loss and Damage Fund was officially operationalised, but remains massively underfunded with its overall total only increasing by $85 million to reach $759m at COP29.
What do COP29 outcomes mean for WASH?
After being acknowledged as “critical to adaptation” by the president of COP28, water – as well as sanitation and hygiene – once again featured in discussions around ensuring people can cope with the impacts of climate change.
- The Baku Dialogue on Water for Climate Action was launched to ensure water is prioritised by future COPs and their presidencies.
- The governments of Ghana, Madagascar and Uganda committed to "water their next NDCs" during events, co-organised by WaterAid, on NAPs and NDCs.
- A sector-wide definition of climate-resilient WASH was launched – an important step in securing common understanding within the WASH sector and will help attract much-needed climate funding for these services.
- The Green Climate Fund launched its Practical Guidelines for Climate-Resilient Sanitation – a major milestone that can open the gates to climate finance for sanitation.
80 events on water outside the Water Pavilion in the Blue Zone
80 events on water outside the Water Pavilion in the Blue Zone
Three countries committed to including water in plans to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change
Three countries committed to including water in plans to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change
30 experts shared their demands to decision makers in our #MyCOPMessage social media campaign
30 experts shared their demands to decision makers in our #MyCOPMessage social media campaign
Why is climate-resilient WASH so important?
As global temperatures continue to rise, people feel the effects of climate change through either too much water – floods, or too little water – droughts. More frequent and extreme flooding pollutes water sources and stops sanitation systems from working properly, while longer droughts dry up clean sources of water such as springs.
Without access to WASH services, communities are more at risk of contracting waterborne diseases like cholera or picking up an infection from a healthcare centre. And, as the ones often responsible for collecting water, doing household chores and caring for family members, women and girls are disproportionately affected when clean water becomes scarcer.
Climate-resilient WASH systems and services can help communities thrive, despite droughts, floods and other extreme weather events.
Delivering the finance needed to ensure people have the tools to adapt to climate change is not aid. It is justice.
In south-west Bangladesh, flood-resistant toilet facilities and underground rainwater harvesting enable communities to thrive despite the impacts of climate change, such as rising sea levels contaminating water supplies, and cyclones and floods destroying sanitation facilities.
"It is a huge relief that we can preserve rainwater in the plant built in our community space," says Gopal Mondol. "This is lifesaving for our community."
Investment in appropriate technologies can help deliver climate-resilient WASH to communities.
In Ethiopia's Amhara state, solar power is used to pump water to Zewdu Adane's village. Before, people in his village had to walk to collect water, taking precious time out of their day. Now, even in the driest periods, water is pumped to the community and people can spend their time on other activities, like paid work or education.
Listening to the needs of local communities is vital to make sure they can build resilience to the impacts of climate change.
Lydia Byogero helped advise on the construction of a rainwater harvesting tank for her family.
"The tank stores enough rainwater for the entire family, especially during the rainy seasons ... there will be no need to walk for an hour to the borehole to collect water. My children will have enough time to rest or play after school.”
How did we highlight the importance of WASH at COP29?
Our international delegation – which included colleagues from nine WaterAid countries and the Resilient Water Accelerator – attended the summit to call for urgent leadership and funding for climate-resilient water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, to ensure communities most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change can thrive.
- We called for WASH to be better included in NDCs, and the financing to deliver them, by leading a series of events with governments. We heard commitments from the governments of Ghana, Madagascar and Uganda to strengthen WASH in the next round of their NDCs, due in February 2025. We also promoted our technical guidance on how to integrate WASH in NAPs and NDCs, receiving great interest from governments and partners to use as part of their revision processes next year.
- We advocated for WASH and cross-sectoral indicators in the GGA to support their adoption at COP30. We co-led a day of events on the Global Goal on Adaptation where we reviewed and refined the proposed WASH and water indicators. We also pushed for better guidance for experts developing the indicators, the need to include non-country and non-expert stakeholders in the development, and the need to connect the GGA to the NCQG – all of which were taken up.
- We amplified the demands of experts and communities unable to travel to COP29 to decisionmakers, by sharing hundreds of stickers of their messages with delegates across the conference venue.
#MyCOPMessage
Following the cancellation of the Regional Climate Weeks, the #MyCOPMessage campaign provided a platform for local climate experts and those on the frontlines of the water and climate crises to share their experiences, solutions and demands to their governments and representatives at COP29.
Top image: The sun begins to rise as (R-L) Damy, 44, Lohantany, 60, Mahazosoa, 21, Tohanay, 18, and Volasoavinonje, 23, begin their long walk to collect water from the Mandrare river in Madagascar. June 2022.