Reforms to the way that societies collect and treat their waste could slash global emissions of planet-heating methane, a new report said Monday, noting that simple measures like composting were a climate solution "staring us in the face". Governments around the world have pledged to reduce emissions of methane (CH4) - which absorbs 80 times more solar radiation over short periods than carbon dioxide - in their battle to curb global warming. Human-induced sources of the powerful greenhouse gas are largely from livestock and manure handling, which accounts for some 30% of anthropogenic methane emissions, followed by the oil and gas sector (19%) and landfills (17%), according to UN climate experts. A new report by the organisation Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) found that simple tweaks in the waste sector, particularly in urban areas, could slash carbon emissions by the equivalent of the annual emissions of 300 million cars. The authors looked at "zero waste" strategies, like separating organic materials, composting, recycling non-organic material and overall reductions in discarded products. While reforms would not remove methane emissions from the...
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