Willcock, S, Parker, A, Wilson, C et al. (10 more authors) (2021) Nature provides valuable sanitation services. One Earth, 4 (2). pp. 192-201. ISSN 2590-3322
Abstract
Much previous research shows that safe disposal of human waste has a positive impact on human wellbeing, while preventing the degradation of ecosystems. However, to date, the role that ecosystems themselves play in treating human waste has been largely neglected. We conceptualize the role nature plays in treating human waste—acting as a pipeline and/or treatment plant. We estimate that nature is treating ~41.7 million tons of human waste per year worldwide, a service worth at least 4.4 ± 3.0 billion USD year−1. We demonstrate the opportunities and challenges of quantifying these “sanitation ecosystem services,” using 48 cities across the globe as a worked example. In highlighting this, we are not marginalizing the vital role of engineered infrastructure, but instead are promoting better understanding of how engineered and natural infrastructure interact within a circular economy. This is a promising route for further research and may allow adaptive design and management, reducing costs, and improving effectiveness and sustainability.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
Keywords: | ecosystem service; nature-based solution; natural; sanitation; WASH; water |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Civil Engineering (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 26 Feb 2021 10:28 |
Last Modified: | 26 Feb 2021 10:28 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier BV |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.oneear.2021.01.003 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:171458 |