According to environmentalists, India needs to urgently address the issue of methane emissions from the waste sector, especially from landfills and open dumpsites. In 2016 alone, India’s methane emissions were 409 million tonnes CO 2 , of which 14.46 per cent came from the waste sector. While India is not yet a signatory to the Global Methane Pledge, which aims to reduce the world’s methane emissions 30 per cent from 2020 levels by 2030, it needs strategies to reduce its methane emissions. Wastewater treatment and discharge, both industrial and domestic, also contributes highly to methane emissions from the waste sector. While emissions from the oil and gas sector receive attention, the waste sector also needs similar focus.

Source: The Hindu December 11, 2023 01:37 UTC