The climate crisis is a water crisis

Join #OurClimateFight

WaterAid/ Xulfi Panhwar

None of us can solve the climate crisis alone, but together our voices are powerful. Join us to call on the UK government to act at COP27 to ensure everyone has clean water to help protect them against the impacts of climate change.

What's the story?

More frequent and extreme flooding is polluting fragile water sources. Longer droughts are drying up springs.

The devastating flooding in Pakistan, coupled with the historic heatwaves and droughts across Europe this summer, have exposed the fragility of global water security. We want to see the government addressing this by urgently investing in clean water as part of climate adaptation.

Of all global climate finance to date, only 0.1% is spent on basic water, sanitation and hygiene. This investment simply doesn’t reflect what we’re currently witnessing – most people experience the impacts of climate change through water, either too much or too little. 90% of natural disasters are water-related.

Who is paying the price?

As our climate changes, it’s humans who suffer the consequences. People get ill, can’t work, and can’t go to school. And that means lives, livelihoods and futures are at risk. Women and girls are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change because the task of collecting water often falls to them – for many, the walk for water is getting longer, hotter and more dangerous.

What are we calling for?

We're asking the UK government to invest at least a third of its existing international climate budget in locally led projects that will deliver clean and safe water to help people adapt to the impacts of climate change that they're experiencing right now. And we're calling for women, who so often lead the solutions at a local level, to be part of the decision-making process at the highest level.

Why now?

COP27 is the world's largest decision-making forum on climate change and it's coming up in November. COP26 was hosted by the UK government last year in Glasgow so they still hold the Presidency, which means they can play an influential role in the build-up to COP27, which will be in Egypt.

How do clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene help protect people against climate change?

With clean water and toilets that can withstand extreme and unpredictable weather, people can protect their families, their livelihoods, and their futures.

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