Introduction
The impacts of climate change on access to water and sanitation vary worldwide, but there are many
common elements, among which is the exacerbation of inequality under the effects of climate change.
Regions where geographical and hydrological conditions complicate access to water and sanitation, such
as arid regions, will be the most impacted by climate change. Populations living in situations of
vulnerability, such as those in areas with overexploited or polluted rivers and aquifers or poorly
maintained or non-existent basic services, including water and sanitation services and facilities, are also
more likely to experience more severe impacts from climate change. Another issue that generally applies
to climate change is that its impacts on access to water and sanitation around the world can be
significantly limited through the adoption of appropriate adaptation measures and strategies. The
devastating socioeconomic impacts of changes in the water cycle call for urgent adaptation strategies in
order to increase the resilience of aquatic ecosystems to extreme events and to increase social
resilience, in accordance with the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation.
The current report is one of three special thematic reports issued by the Special Rapporteur on the
human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation. It serves as an intermittent report presented by the
Special Rapporteur between his report to the 48th session of the Human Rights Council in September
2021 focused on his plans and vision for the mandate (A/HRC/48/50) and his next report to the 51st
session of the Human Rights Council in September 2022. The first special thematic report outlines how
climate change will impact the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, and describes the
main trends in those impacts by region. The second special thematic report explores the impacts of
climate change on the human rights to water and sanitation of specific groups in situations of
vulnerability. The third and present report outlines a human rights approach to four major topics within
the sphere of climate action: adaptation, mitigation, finance, and cooperation.
Introduction
1
The hydrological transition
2
Adaptation
3
Mitigation
5
Finance
7
Cooperation - Collaboration and Participation
8
1