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Every time you flush the toilet, you may be inadvertently contributing to a global environmental crisis: wastewater pollution. Eighty percent of the world's wastewater enters our waterways without adequate treatment — and the repercussions are critical for both human and ecological health.

Tune in to waste(d)water, a first-of-its-kind podcast from The Nature Conservancy, to hear from experts across disciplines and geographies, so we can unpack wastewater pollution and learn about the solutions to tackle it. From resource recovery to nature-based solutions, we can reshape how we perceive and manage wastewater.

Listen to the podcast on your favorite streaming platforms:

EPISODE THREE: SHOW NOTES

The price of pollution: Wastewater's surprising drain on the economy

 Featuring Jasmine Fournier, Shivangi Jain, and Lindsay Stradley


LISTEN ON:     Apple Podcasts    ◦    Spotify    ◦    YouTube



DESCRIPTION
Untreated wastewater isn’t just an environmental crisis — it’s an economic one. In this episode of The Nature Conservancy’s waste(d)water podcast, host Kassie Morton learns from experts Jasmine Fournier from the Ocean Sewage Alliance, Shivangi Jain from Economist Impact, and Lindsay Stradley from Fresh Life, as they unpack the hidden financial toll of wastewater pollution across fisheries, agriculture, and human health. Drawing from a groundbreaking report, they reveal billions in annual losses across five countries, where innovative sanitation models are reshaping urban resilience. The episode explores how quantifying these costs can drive smarter investments, policy reform, and circular economy solutions. Tune in to learn how ignoring wastewater is costing us more than you’d think.


KEY WORDS
wastewater pollution, economic impact of pollution, environmental health, sanitation solutions, marine ecosystems, public health, untreated sewage, wastewater management, Ocean Sewage Alliance, Back to Blue Initiative, Economist Impact, Fresh Life, Kenya waste management


AT A GLANCE

  • Quantifying the economic costs of wastewater pollution is essential to motivating action.
  • The research team focused on economic impacts to fisheries, agriculture, and human health sectors.
  • Annual losses in fisheries can reach up to $2.2 billion.
  • Inadequate wastewater treatment leads to significant agricultural losses.
  • Health care costs from waterborne diseases are substantial.
  • Access to safe sanitation is linked to economic productivity.

GUEST BIOS

Jasmine Fournier is the Executive Director of Ocean Sewage Alliance, whose mission is to eliminate sewage and wastewater pollution in our oceans. Jasmine holds a Master of Science in Epidemiology and a Master of Science in Microbiology and Immunology and has over 15 years of experience in the public sector, conducting mixed methods research, evaluation, and policy analysis on topics such as climate resilience, environmental justice, HIV prevention, health equity, and disaster resilience.

Shivangi Jain is the Senior Manager, Head of Economic Modeling and EMEA team lead at Economist Impact. She holds a master’s and bachelor’s degree in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Shivangi leads research programmes for governments, nonprofits and private sector organisations seeking evidence-based research and analysis. The focus of her work is on building custom impact assessment models for quantitative analysis, using a range of techniques including econometric modelling, general equilibrium modelling and cost-benefit analysis amongst others.

Lindsay Stradley is Co-Founder of The Sanergy Collaborative and Executive Director of Fresh Life. She holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a B.A. in American Studies from Yale. Sanergy promotes the fundamental human right to sanitation in the slums of Kenya by increasing access to and usage of hygienic sanitation facilities. Lindsay and her team create an efficient, equitable, and sustainable sanitation cycle by building a dense network of small-scale sanitation centers across the slums, a low-cost containerized waste collection infrastructure, and converting this waste at our central processing facility into electricity, fertilizer, and other high-margin products.


CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction to Wastewater Pollution

02:28 The Hidden Costs of Untreated Wastewater

05:50 Economic Impacts of Wastewater Pollution

08:58 Quantifying the Cost of Inaction

11:50 Case Studies: Global Perspectives on Wastewater

14:40 Innovative Solutions in Wastewater Management

17:46 Future Research and Investment Opportunities



EPISODE RESOURCES

The Scourge of Untreated Wastewater
Back to Blue Initiative, 2025
Read the report

Wastewater Pollution Impacts on Estuarine and Marine Environments
Treatise on Estuarine and Coastal Science, 2nd Edition – Chapter 6.13
Access the chapter

The Global Health Observatory
World Health Organization, 2022 data
Read the paper

Kenya: 2022 Deomgraphic and Health Survey
Republic of Kenya & Kenya National Bureau of Statistics

Sewage and Wastewater Pollution 101
Back to Blue Initiative, 2024
Watch the video

Sewage Solutions
Back to Blue Initiative, 2025
Watch the video


CREDITS
Post-production services for waste(d)water provided by Two Aspen Audio. A special thank you to The Nature Conservancy Coda Fellows Sydney Bezanson and Juan Sebastián Gómez Gutiérrez for their contributions.
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