Safe Sanitation in a Changing Climate
There has been limited investment from climate funds in the sanitation sector, largely due to political debate on the role of official development assistance in tackling climate change. This online seminar will focus on the connections between climate change and sanitation. The presenters will discuss the importance of sanitation management to build resilience and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The critical role of sanitation in building community resilience and the vulnerability of sanitation systems to climate events will be highlighted. Evidence will be put forward to support calls for professionalization in the management of sanitation systems, greater government engagement with sanitation service provision, and more investment and planning for waste treatment facilities. The potential role of climate finance will be discussed.
Event Type: Online Event
Date: 28 February 2023 (Tuesday)
Time: 17:00 – 18:00 GMT*
Zoom Information:
Meeting ID: 941 1992 9274
Passcode: 957564
Register for the event here.
* This event will be followed by an informal chat over Tea/Drinks for another hour.
Speaker Profile
Prof. Barbara Evans, University of Leeds
Professor Barbara Evans holds the chair in Public Health Engineering in the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Leeds. Her research activities centre on sanitation, hygiene and water services in the global south. Professor Evans research includes sanitation in low income urban communities, rural sanitation and water/sanitation in cities and towns. Within these areas, particular emphasis is placed on the development of effective strategies for management and disposal of faecal sludge, alternatives to conventional water borne sewerage in dense urban areas, effectiveness of rural sanitation programmes, sustainability and equity in community-wide approaches which eliminate open defecation, health impacts of open defecation practices, technologies and institutions to link community sanitation and water investments with city networks.
Prof. Guy Howard, University of Bristol:
Professor Guy Howard is the Director of the Cabot Institute for the Environment at the University of Bristol and also holds the Global Research Chair in Infrastructure and Environmental Resilience in the Department of Civil Engineering. His research focuses on climate resilience of water and sanitation services and health systems, water quality and environmental influences on public health, and adaptation to environmental change in mountain and communities. Before joining Bristol University, Guy spent 16 years at DFID in a variety of roles including as policy lead for WASH and deputy head of the Human Development Department in Policy Division. He was a climate and environment advisor and an infrastructure advisor, providing advice on project development and undertaking assessments of project designs.
Kathryn Pharr, WaterAid, Sr Policy Adviser for International Climate Action
Kathryn Pharr is part of WaterAid’s Global Policy and Research Team as a Sr Policy Adviser for International Climate Action working to ensure that WASH considerations, particularly for the most vulnerable, are part of international climate action to sustainably and realistically meet goals from the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda, which cross-sectorally heavily rely on resilient water resources and WASH services. Her current policy research specifically focuses on climate, gender and sanitation. Kathryn’s work experience on water, climate, and science policy and implementation includes the Alliance for Global Water Adaptation, Arup, the Global Water Forum, the U.S. Department of State, and the University of Oxford. She founded the Community of Women in Water (CWiW) in January 2019 to connect women working on water challenges globally.
Dr Saskia Nowicki, University of Oxford
Saskia is working with the REACH water security programme and the Water Programme of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment and is co-chair of the Oxford Water Network leadership team. She is invested in learning about and applying feminist and anti-racist approaches to research and participates in the Community of Women in Water (CWiW) and anti-racism activity within SOGE. Through a knowledge-exchange funded Water Learning Partnership, Saskia has also been working on developing teaching resources and activities with schools in Kenya and Cameroon.
This event is hosted by the Oxford Water Network. This event is part of the OWN Hilary Term 2023 Seminar Series on “Water and Health in a Changing Climate”. Look out for the upcoming seminars on the links between climate change and environmental antimicrobial resistance transmission, safe sanitation, and water-borne disease.
