The Global Methane Pledge launched at COP26 last year confirmed the increased focus on reducing methane emissions as a priority measure to achieve Paris Agreement targets. Methane is 86 times more harmful than CO2 in the first 20 years of its release into the atmosphere. This is why over 100 countries have now signed up to the pledge, which commits them to reduce their emissions by 30% from 2020 levels by 2030.
The World Biogas Association (WBA) – organisers of the annual World Biogas Summit – co-hosted a meeting at COP26 which highlighted the biogas industry’s ability to deliver around 50% of those Global Methane Pledge targets. The theme will run through next year’s World Biogas Summit and the co-located World Biogas Expo, which will respectively provide insights into the anaerobic digestion (AD) and biogas industry’s potential to cut methane emissions (the Summit) and showcase the technologies and human ingenuity deployed in delivering on that potential (the Expo).
“The 105bn tonnes of organic wastes generated annually by human activity are responsible for 25% of the world’s methane emissions,” explained WBA Chief Executive Charlotte Morton at COP26 (pictured). “Only 2% are currently treated through AD, which means that 98% are still emitting methane when rotting on the landfill or incinerated. This hasn’t changed for millennia. It is fundamental that we usher in a new era in waste management.”
The World Biogas Summit and Expo 2022 will provide a unique opportunity to find out how to affect that fundamental change and respond to the methane imperative.
www.world-biogas-summit.com; biogastradeshow.com
