GHG Emission from Solid Waste

GHG Emissions from SWM by Income

Solid waste is linked to economic growth and urbanization. As economies grow and people
become richer, consumption of goods and services increases, leading to increasing amounts
of solid waste and GHG emissions from the SWM sector.

Source:https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/ipcc_wg3_ar5_full.pdf - page 382

The graph from the latest IPCC assessment report shows the relationship between income
and GHG emissions in the waste sector. The area of a circle is proportional to the aggregate
emissions for that country. Note the clear positive relationship between income and
emissions in the waste sector.

GHG Emissions from Waste

The solid waste sector is significant from a climate
change perspective because methane, a potent
greenhouse gas, is generated from decomposing
organic waste in low-oxygen environments such as
landfills and open dumps.

According to the IPCC, methane makes up 90% of

GHG emissions from waste, and nitrous oxide
makes up the remaining 10%. Other greenhouse
gases such as carbon dioxide and Non-Methane
Volatile Organic Compounds are released in trace
quantities.
Data Source:
https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/ipcc
_wg3_ar5_full.pdf

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Why is Methane a Potent GHG?

Methane is an
important greenhouse
gas because it traps
more heat in the
atmosphere than
carbon dioxide.
Methane has a global
warming potential
(GWP) of 72 over a 20-
year period.

Global warming
potential, commonly
referred to as GWP, is
a relative measure of
how much heat a
greenhouse gas traps
in the atmosphere. All
greenhouse gases are measured relative to carbon dioxide, meaning the GWP of CO2 is 1. A GWP of
72 means that methane is 72 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon
dioxide is.

2
However, recent research shows that methane has an even more potent warming effect on the climate
than scientists previously thought. It is now widely believed that in the first couple of decades after
methane is generated, its GWP is 86.

It’s also important to remember that GWP varies across different time periods. A 100-year time frame of
GWP is commonly cited, but this is more by convention than by scientific principle. In fact, using
GWP100 can severely underestimate how much a greenhouse gas is actually increasing the warming
in our atmosphere. For instance, methane lasts for only a couple of decades before it breaks down and
almost disappears. So, using a GWP of 34 for methane does not give a true idea of how much heat the
gas traps because 100 years after it is generated, it’s practically non-existent in the atmosphere.

GHG Formula Lifetime (years) GWP – 20 years GWP – 100 years

Carbon dioxide CO2 Variable 1 1
Methane CH4 12±3 72 34
Nitrous oxide N20 120 280 310

Sources:
• http://blogs.edf.org/energyexchange/2018/02/07/new-science-suggests-methane-packs-more-warming-power-than-previously-
thought/
• https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-bad-of-a-greenhouse-gas-is-methane/
• https://unfccc.int/process/transparency-and-reporting/greenhouse-gas-data/greenhouse-gas-data-unfccc/global-warming-potentials