In its landmark climate change report published last week, the IPCC declared a “code red for humanity”, and revealed that global waste management activities, including landfills, produced 64 million tonnes a year (Tg yr) of methane emissions between 2008 and 2017 (see letsrecycle.com story).
In a message sent out in the WBA newsletter yesterday (16 August), chief executive Charlotte Morton said now was the time for AD to be “deployed around the world”, as at it has the potential to deliver a 10% cut in global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
‘We must act’
Ms Morton said: “The time for talking is over. Now we must act. That is the clear message to be taken from the IPCC’s ‘code red for humanity’. And that means now is the time for AD to be deployed around the world.
“As the report states, every tonne of carbon released today adds to global warming. This rules out business as usual as we wait 10-20 years for the silver bullets of hydrogen and carbon capture and storage to hit their targets.
“We must deploy technology that is readily available today. That includes AD. At its full potential AD and biogas can deliver a 10% cut in global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.”
Unique selling point
According to Ms Morton, the AD and biogas industry’s “unique selling point” is that it works to reduce methane emissions, which is “tonne for tonne, 85 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO2 over its first 20 years in the atmosphere”.
She continued: “The UN has said this is the most immediate and cost-effective way to deliver the Paris Agreement target to keep global warming below 2C. In other words, there is no net zero without biogas. This is a huge commercial opportunity. Clearly, our industry needs to scale up and scale up fast.”
Framework
The WBA says it is currently creating a framework in its efforts to scale up the industry, including steps such as:
- actively engaging with the UN and COP26, to raise the industry’s profile
- lobbying ministers in collaboration with national associations
- developing working groups to support international growth
- engaging with development banks and the finance community
- and developing an international set of standards and training, as called for by governments and investors.
‘Wrong side of history’
Concluding her message, Ms Morton said: “Join us. That is the first action you can take in response to the IPCC’s dire warning. Every country, every community and every company must transition out of fossil and develop new waste management systems. Those that don’t will be on the wrong side of history.”
Subscribe for free