Today wastewater treatment processes contribute as much to global GHG emissions as the global aviation industry. Whilst the full scale of GHG emissions from wastewater is still not clear, emissions from domestic wastewater increased 400% between 2000-2014. If efforts to reach SDG 6.3 (halving the proportion of untreaded wastewater) rely on conventional, linear treatment processes, these figures will increase considerably in the next few years.
Globally we produce 5x more wastewater than passes over the Niagara Falls every year. This volume continues to increase and pollution from unmanaged wastewater is still one of the most pressing global challenges. Excess nutrients flow into ecosystems harming their health and function, threatening human health and exacerbating climate change.
Rather than seeing wastewater as an ever-growing and costly problem, it should be looked to as a solution. It is a source for recovering valuable resources – not only recycled water but also energy and nutrients.
Wastewater has the potential to provide:
- Electricity to half a billion people each year.
- Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium fertilizer that could offset 13% of the global fertilizer demand in agriculture.
This potential is not being realised. Only 11% of treated wastewater is currently being reused.
EXPLORE: Video on Wastewater and nutrient management for #ClimateAction
