Integrity risks in water and sanitation climate adaptation

cgrandadam
Jul 3
1 min read

Working Paper

Research paper

Suggested citation: Water Integrity Network (WIN), 2025. Integrity Risks in Water and Sanitation Climate Adaptation. Water Integrity Research Paper 4. Berlin: WIN

As the impacts of climate change intensify, so does the urgency for climate adaptation that is not only effective but fair, transparent, and accountable.

Our latest working paper — Integrity Risks in Water and Sanitation Climate Adaptation — looks at how integrity issues and corruption exacerbate vulnerability of communities and water and sanitation institutions. It also explores overlooked integrity challenges threatening the success of climate adaptation efforts in the water and sanitation sectors.

The paper introduces new definitions and frameworks for understanding water and sanitation adaptation and maladaptation. It then outlines three key types of integrity risks that can lead to maladaptation.

First, misrepresentation of climate adaptation projects and climate-washing—a form of greenwashing.
Second, the paper delves into mismanagement and financial integrity risks, such as corruption and the misallocation or misuse of adaptation funds across the project cycle—from planning and procurement to implementation and monitoring.
Third, the paper proposes adaptation principles and outlines the risks related to flouting these principles in climate adaptation programmes in water and sanitation.

The paper proposes first paths to address these different types of risk and lays the groundwork for deeper debate and learning ahead of the next Water Integrity Global Outlook (WIGO 4).

We invite practitioners, policymakers, and researchers to engage with us on these critical issues. Share your feedback and questions for WIGO4 here!

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