{"id":439,"date":"2024-10-22T11:56:53","date_gmt":"2024-10-22T11:56:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/howtooahu.com\/?p=439"},"modified":"2025-01-27T13:12:50","modified_gmt":"2025-01-27T13:12:50","slug":"gaps-in-laws-and-policies-leave-water-and-sanitation-systems-vulnerable-to-harmful-climate-impacts-in-frontline-communities-across-the-us-new-report-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/howtooahu.com\/index.php\/2024\/10\/22\/gaps-in-laws-and-policies-leave-water-and-sanitation-systems-vulnerable-to-harmful-climate-impacts-in-frontline-communities-across-the-us-new-report-finds\/","title":{"rendered":"Gaps in Laws and Policies Leave Water and Sanitation Systems Vulnerable to Harmful Climate Impacts in Frontline Communities Across the US, New Report Finds"},"content":{"rendered":"

Research Highlights Climate is Changing Faster than Laws Have Responded,\u00a0<\/em>Leaving Infrastructure with Insufficient Resilience and Risking a Widening Water Access Gap<\/em><\/p>\n

OAKLAND, CA<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 New research released today by the Pacific Institute and the Center for Water Security and Cooperation (CWSC) reveals existing laws and policies fail to protect water and sanitation systems from climate change impacts in frontline communities across the United States. The report, \u201cLaw and Policies that Address Equitable, Climate-Resilient Water and Sanitation,<\/a>\u201d examines federal, Tribal, state, and local laws and policies governing centralized drinking water and wastewater systems, as well as decentralized onsite drinking water and sanitation systems.<\/p>\n

The research demonstrates that most existing US water laws and policies were developed assuming historical climate trends that determine water availability would be constant and that communities\u2019 vulnerability to climate events would be the same over time. The research specifically outlines how laws and policies often do not anticipate or help to proactively manage the impacts of climate change on water and wastewater systems in frontline communities. This leaves these systems vulnerable to extreme weather events and frontline community residents susceptible to service disruptions, reducing access to safe water and sanitation services.<\/p>\n

\u201cClimate change is simply outpacing our legal system when it comes to protecting water and sanitation systems,\u201d said Alexandra Campbell-Ferrari, Executive Director of the Center for Water Security and Cooperation. \u201cWithout proactive legal reforms, a growing number of people in frontline communities in the United States are at risk of losing their access to safe water and sanitation because of climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n

The report also underscores that existing US laws and policies, except for five states, mostly do not recognize water and sanitation as human rights, threatening to widen the water access gap. This threat is especially concerning for frontline communities, where service disruptions from climate impacts leave an increasing number of households without access to safe water or functioning sanitation systems, often with little legal recourse to regain access.<\/p>\n

\u201cIdentifying these shortcomings in existing laws is a critical first step to constructing and rehabilitating the legal infrastructure needed to lessen the impacts of climate change on water and sanitation access and service delivery,\u201d said Dr. Shannon McNeeley, Senior Researcher and Water and Climate Equity Lead at the Pacific Institute. \u201cThis report lays the groundwork for a more comprehensive evaluation of the existing legal and policy gaps to enable the design of drinking water and sanitation laws that are more responsive to climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n

The report identifies several areas where laws and policies are falling short:<\/p>\n