“Appropriate management of all organic wastes must be enabled NOW if the world is to meet Paris Agreement targets”, says global biogas trade body in landmark report.
The World Biogas Association (WBA) today launched a report highlighting the opportunity to rapidly cut the methane emissions from the huge volume of organic wastes generated annually by human activity, using the knowledge and technology that is available today.
Human activity currently generates 105bn tonnes of organic wastes every year, which are releasing harmful gases into the atmosphere, particularly methane – a gas 85 times more harmful than CO2 over a 20-year period. Reducing methane emissions is therefore a priority to address the climate emergency and meet the 2030 deadline.
Biogas: Pathways to 2030 explores how, by 2030, appropriate management of all organic wastes can enable
- a reduction in the amount of these wastes, especially food waste, which would itself cut global emissions by 3%, and;
- the transformation of the unavoidable organic wastes into valuable bioresources, which would cut global greenhouse gas emissions by a further 10%.
Currently only 2% of the world’s organic wastes are effectively treated and recycled. These organic wastes are best recycled through anaerobic digestion (AD), a process which produces green energy, biofertilisers and other bio-products essential for the development of a sustainable circular economy. WBA calls for governments to ensure ALL unavoidable organic wastes are captured and treated through AD.
Recycling of unavoidable organic wastes through AD not only contributes towards climate change mitigation but also, by improving soils, air quality and sanitation worldwide, towards the delivery of many of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Biogas: Pathways to 2030 makes clear recommendations on how to deploy AD around the world, providing governments with a toolkit of measures that will enable the biogas industry to deliver carbon savings and cut the current shortfall identified by the UN in the capacity of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to meet Paris Agreement targets by over a quarter.
There is now less than a decade left to deliver on the Paris Agreement objectives, and current NDCs only deliver 1% of the 45% reduction in GHG emissions needed to keep global warming to below 2°C by 2030. Implementing those measures is therefore critically urgent.