scholarly journals Non-Sewered Sanitation Systems’ Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Balancing Sustainable Development Goal Tradeoffs to End Open Defecation

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 11884
Author(s):  
Kelsey Shaw ◽  
Christopher Kennedy ◽  
Caetano C. Dorea
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Emission Factors ◽  
Climate Impacts ◽  
Open Defecation ◽  
Sustainable Development Goal ◽  
Development Goal ◽  
Sanitation Systems

Discharge of excreta into the environment and the use of decentralized sanitation technologies, such as septic tanks, pit latrines and ecological sanitation variants (i.e., container-based sanitation), contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions but have remained poorly quantified. The purpose of this analysis was to investigate the impacts that meeting Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.2 (i.e., ending open defecation by 2030) would have on SDG 13 (i.e., combatting climate impacts). The current Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change GHG estimation methodology was used as the basis for calculations in this analysis, augmented with improved emission factors from collected data sets for all types of on-site sanitation infrastructure. Specifically, this assessment focused on the three different service levels of sanitation (i.e., improved, unimproved and no service) as defined by UNICEF and WHO as they pertain to three Shared Socioeconomic Pathways. This analysis considered the 100-year global warming potential values in carbon dioxide equivalents of methane and nitrous oxide that can be emitted for each scenario and decentralized sanitation technology. Ultimately, six scenarios were developed for various combinations of pathways and sanitation technologies. There was significant variability between the scenarios, with results ranging from 68 Tg CO2eq/year to 7 TgCO2eq/year. The main contributors of GHG emissions in each scenario were demonstrated to be septic tank systems and pit latrines, although in scenarios that utilized improved emission factors (EFs) these emissions were significantly reduced compared with those using only standard IPCC EFs. This analysis demonstrated that using improved EFs reduced estimated GHG emissions within each SSP scenario by 53% on average. The results indicate that achieving SDG sanitation targets will ultimately increase GHG emissions from the current state but with a relatively small impact on total anthropogenic emissions. There is a need for the continued improvement and collection of field-based emission estimations to refine coarse scale emissions models as well as a better characterization of relevant biodegradation mechanisms in popular forms of on-site sanitation systems. An increase in the understanding of sanitation and climate change linkages among stakeholders will ultimately lead to a better inclusion of sanitation, and other basic human rights, in climate action goals.

scholarly journals Explaining the outcomes of the ‘Clean India’ campaign: institutional behaviour and sanitation transformation in India

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Val Curtis
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Universal Access ◽  
Theory Of Change ◽  
Ethical Behaviour ◽  
List Type ◽  
Open Defecation ◽  
Sustainable Development Goal ◽  
Development Goal ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
New Findings

AbstractIntroductionWhilst many less developed countries are struggling to provide universal access to safe sanitation, in the last five years India has almost reached its target of eliminating open defaecation. The object of this study was to understand how the Indian Government effected this sanitation transformation.MethodsThe study employed interviews with 17 actors in the Government’s ‘Clean India’ programme across the national capital and four states which were analysed using a theory of change grounded in Behaviour Centred Design.ResultsThe Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) claims to have improved the coverage of toilets in rural India from 39% to over 95% of households between 2014 and mid 2019. From interviews with relevant actors we constructed a theory of change for the programme in which high-level political support and disruptive leadership changed environments in districts, which led to psychological changes in district officials, which, in turn, led to changed behaviour concerning sanitation programming. The Prime Minister’s setting of the ambitious goal to eliminate open defecation by the 150th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi (October 2019) galvanised government bureaucracy, while early success in 100 flagship districts reduced the scepticism of government employees, a cadre of 500 young professionals placed in districts imparted new ideas and energy, social and mass media was used to engage and motivate the public and key players, and new norms of ethical behaviour were demonstrated by leaders. As a result, district officials engaged emotionally with the programme and felt pride at their achievements in ridding villages of open defecation.ConclusionsThough many challenges remain, Governments seeking to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of universal access to safe sanitation can emulate the success of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission.SUMMARY BOXESWhat is already known?At least 47 countries are not on track to reach the Sustainable Development Goal of universal access to safe sanitation by 2030 and some 0.6 billion people are still defecating in the open.It is not clear how governments in low income countries can be galvanised to act to resolve this pressing public health problem.What are the new findings?The experience of the Clean India programme suggests that countries can almost eliminate open defecation.The success of the programme was due to factors including: the setting of ambitious targets; the use of modern communications strategies and monitoring technology; and the provision of visible reward and recognition for employees.What do the new findings imply?Disruptive leadership is needed to create working environments where sometimes jaded civil servants are given an opportunity to make a difference.Politicians who embrace the cause of sanitation may find that there are votes in toilets.

scholarly journals Informing action for United Nations SDG target 8.7 and interdependent SDGs: Examining modern slavery from space

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Doreen S. Boyd ◽  
Bertrand Perrat ◽  
Xiaodong Li ◽  
Bethany Jackson ◽  
Todd Landman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Earth Observation ◽  
Spatiotemporal Patterns ◽  
Sustainable Development Goal ◽  
Development Goal ◽  
Modern Slavery ◽  
Development Goals

AbstractThis article provides an example of the ways in which remote sensing, Earth observation, and machine learning can be deployed to provide the most up to date quantitative portrait of the South Asian ‘Brick Belt’, with a view to understanding the extent of the prevalence of modern slavery and exploitative labour. This analysis represents the first of its kind in estimating the spatiotemporal patterns in the Bull’s Trench Kilns across the Brick Belt, as well as its connections with various UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With a principal focus on Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7 regarding the effective measures to end modern slavery by 2030, the article provides additional evidence on the intersections that exist between SDG 8.7 and those relating to urbanisation (SDG 11, 12), environmental degradation and pollution (SDG 3, 14, 15), and climate change (SDG 13). Our findings are then used to make a series of pragmatic suggestions for mitigating the most extreme SDG risks associated with brick production in ways that can improve human lives and human freedom.

scholarly journals Climate Change Adaptation Mechanism for Sustainable Development Goal 1 in Nigeria: Legal Imperative

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Erimma Gloria Orie
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Sustainable Development Goal ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
Development Goal ◽  
Extreme Poverty ◽  
The People ◽  
Reduction Strategies ◽  
Environmental Shocks

AbstractDespite international efforts on poverty reduction in the last decade, poverty is rampant in many countries including Nigeria. Poverty remains a principal challenge for development in twenty-first century and a threat to achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1, which is a global attempt, among others, to end poverty by 2030. Meanwhile, 13 out of the 15 countries where extreme poverty is rising are in Africa. According to the World Poverty Clock, Nigeria, by 2018, had the largest extreme poverty population of 86.9 million, thus making the people vulnerable to malnutrition, armed conflict, migration, and other socioeconomic and environmental shocks. Whereas these impacts are exacerbated by climate change (CC), unfortunately, Nigeria’s adaptation efforts are inadequate due to certain impediments. The chapter finds that Nigeria lacks the CC law to properly regulate institutional and policy interventions to impacts of CC. It argues that although adaptation as opposed to mitigation is interim, yet integrating adaptation measures into Sustainable Development (SD) framework and poverty reduction strategies is a potent means of addressing CC impacts on the poor and achieve SDG1 target. The chapter therefore recommends the establishment of CC law in Nigeria that incorporates adaptation measures in poverty reduction strategies and mainstreaming of CC issues.

scholarly journals Policy Brief: Ending Open Defecation in Nigeria

2020 ◽  
pp. 47-54
Author(s):  
Mary Obidiya Okuku
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Job Creation ◽  
Communication Strategy ◽  
Open Defecation ◽  
Sustainable Development Goal ◽  
Political Will ◽  
Development Goal ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of this paper is to present a policy brief on ending open defecation in Nigeria. The briefing notes the burden of open defecation (OD) in Nigeria, its causes, the impact of OD practices, successes achieved so far, as well as the failures encountered and offers recommendations to end the practice in order to achieve the sustainable development goal (SDG) 6.2 of ending open defecation globally by 2030 as proposed by the United Nations.       Key Recommendations: Strong Political Will to uphold and implement policies on sanitation Building more latrines Establishing monitoring team Capacity building Sustainable job creation Improved communication strategy

scholarly journals COVID-19 Hard Lockdown in South Africa: Lessons for Climate Stakeholders Pursuing the Thirteenth Sustainable Development Goal

2021 ◽  
pp. 002190962110439
Author(s):  
Eromose E. Ebhuoma
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Index Case ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
African Continent ◽  
Green Growth ◽  
Sustainable Development Goal ◽  
Development Goal ◽  
Media Reports

As a result of South Africa recording its first COVID-19 index case in March 2020, the country imposed one of the strictest lockdowns globally. The lockdown unearthed vital lessons that climate practitioners both in South Africa – the largest emitter of greenhouse gases on the African continent – and globally can draw from to facilitate the achievement of the thirteenth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 13). Drawing on secondary data analysis of media reports regarding South Africa’s strategy to tackle the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with particular emphasis on the hard lockdown, three themes emerged. These were rephrased to align appropriately with the discourse on climate change (CC). These include changing the distant framing narrative of CC, prioritizing green growth and utilizing credible messengers. Each theme is discussed critically in terms of how it will aid climate policy developers and practitioners in facilitating the attainment of SDG 13.

scholarly journals Climate change impacts and effects on health system: A challenge towards achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 3 in South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 950-967
Author(s):  
Happy Mathew Tirivangasi ◽  
Sejabaledi Agnes Rankoana ◽  
Louis Nyahunda
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goal ◽  
Development Goal ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
The World ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

The aim of this paper is to present climate change health related effects that may pose a challenge for South Africa to attain South Africa’s plans to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SGD) 3. It examined South Africa’s preparedness to address the impacts of climate change in order to best achieve SDGs 3. Climate change is a challenging phenomenon, which has seen many people around the world being affected by its effects unaware and unprepared. Climate change affects weather patterns, for instance rainfall patterns and temperatures. Consequently, this resulted in draughts, floods, diseases, veld fires, high temperatures, changing times of floods occurrences and depleted water resources in Africa and the rest of the world. This has placed human life in danger. Considering the increasing burden of diseases, the United Nations (UN) adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address of poverty, hunger disease and want by 2030. However, climate change threatens the ability of countries to achieve this by the anticipated time. The researchers conducted an extensive content analysis by interrogating various sources of literatures sources that include journal articles, thesis, academic books, and documents written by the government of South Africa. The study reveals that that climate related deaths will increase between 2030 and 2050 due to these health impacts of climate change. The study reveals that South Africa, like many other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa faces threat of vector borne diseases, mental health, malnutrition, and diarrheal, and other disease resulting from water scarcity and heat waves. This comes because of high prevalence of drought, floods, and increased temperatures. The study recommends early awareness and new communication strategies for the promotion of mental health, heat education campaign and prevention of vector borne diseases.  

scholarly journals Corporate Solutions to Climate Change

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pooja Khosla
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goal ◽  
Development Goal ◽  
Average Surface ◽  
Private Sector Participation ◽  
The World ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Global Investors ◽  
Taking Action

Climate change is now impacting every country on every continent. Leading European countries are taking action-and even committing real moneyto fight climate change1 . Without action, the world’s average surface temperature is projected to rise over the 21st century and is likely to surpass 3 degrees Celsius this century-with some areas of the world expected to warm even more. In effort to resolve the issues related to climate change we need greater private sector participation. Incentivizing global investors and consumers to direct investments and consumption towards the corporations that are leading the effort towards climate sustainability may accelerate achieving United Nation’s current sustainable development goal (SDG’s) of Climate Action

scholarly journals A review of the Europe indicators on climate change - industry, innovation and infrastructure

2019 ◽  
Vol 290 ◽  
pp. 06001
Author(s):  
Iudit Bere‒Semeredi ◽  
Anca Mocan
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Transport ◽  
Sustainable Development Goal ◽  
Sustainable Infrastructure ◽  
Development Goal ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Communist Countries ◽  
European Statistics ◽  
The Eu

The paper presents a study based on the European statistics available to characterize the Sustainable Development Goal 9 that calls for building resilient and sustainable infrastructure and promotes inclusive and sustainable industrialization. A debate on the achievements and the situation at the EU-28 level and comments on the Romania and the former Communist countries will be made based on the existing broad positions or discourses within the climate change: gradualism, skepticism and catastrophism. Conclusions and final debates are dedicated to the EU context development focuses on two main dimensions: research and development and innovation, and sustainable transport.

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