Impacts and implications of climate change on wastewater systems: A New Zealand perspective

Climate Risk Management (2021)

Wastewater systems provide a critical service to society, and their vulnerability to the impacts of climate change places the health and sanitation of many communities at risk.

This paper considers the significance of the impacts and implications, how they will be distributed across different groups, how they will manifest in different contexts and locations, and conclude by proposing a range of guiding principles for local government decision makers.

Examples include loss and damage to assets – leading to disruption to communities, water quality deterioration with consequential social, environmental, economic and cultural effects, public health risks, and economic costs related to damages, foregone production and insurance.