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Methane is the second largest contributor to climate change, with concentrations increasing faster now than since the 1980s. Human activities drive over half of global emissions, primarily through agriculture (40%), fossil fuels (35%), and waste (20%). The briefing highlights that cutting methane in these sectors could reduce human emissions by 45% by 2030, avoiding 0.3°C of warming by the 2040s. However, government action is currently insufficient; only nine of 174 countries with Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) have set separate methane targets, and agricultural targets remain largely vague.

The document examines waste management in Bosnia and Herzegovina through the lens of social equity, highlighting that while collection coverage has expanded, rural areas and Roma communities remain underserved. It identifies a strong reliance of Roma populations on informal waste collection for income and notes that the formal waste sector is heavily male-dominated. The brief argues for the integration of informal collectors into formal systems and the use of gender-based quotas and targeted training to diversify the workforce.

Methane is a potent warming agent and health hazard that leaks frequently from oil and gas systems, coal mines, landfills, and livestock. RMI advocates for the use of remote sensing and the MiQ voluntary standard to create a market for low-methane gas and eventually establish mandatory standards to achieve a 1.5-degree future.

The study investigates deeper decarbonization in the Northeastern U.S., finding that Rhode Island could potentially reduce emissions by 80% by 2030 using existing technologies. While significant reductions of 70% to 80% are possible by 2030, 2040, or 2050, complete decarbonization is hindered by methane leakage from landfills and natural gas transmission, industrial emissions, and air travel.

The report evaluates the climate and air quality impacts of residual waste treatment in the UK, comparing landfill and incineration across different scenarios. It finds that while incineration may currently appear more favorable due to energy credits, its relative performance is expected to decline by 2035 as the electricity grid decarbonises and waste composition changes. The study emphasizes that pre-treatment is essential for both technologies to align with net-zero targets and notes that incineration has a more significant negative impact on local air quality than landfill.

The Food Waste Warriors project analyzed plate waste in 46 US schools, finding that students waste an average of 39.2 pounds of food and 28.7 cartons of milk per year. The study highlights the significant environmental and financial costs of this waste, estimating a national impact of 530,000 tons of food waste and 45 million gallons of milk waste annually. Results indicate that simple interventions and awareness can reduce waste, with elementary schools seeing a 14.5% reduction. The report recommends policy reforms to National School Lunch Program (NSLP) portion sizes and the adoption of bulk milk dispensers to mitigate these losses.

The document outlines a step-by-step process for schools to perform food waste audits, including planning, data collection through student interviews and weighing, and a list of evidence-based prevention strategies to reduce waste and improve student nutrition.

The report examines the carpet sector's failure to transition from a linear to a circular economy, highlighting that most carpets in Europe are incinerated or landfilled. It specifically critiques industry leaders Desso and Interface for 'greenwashing,' noting a significant gap between their sustainability goals and actual collection rates. The document also identifies the event industry as a major source of single-use carpet waste and proposes systemic changes in eco-design, collection infrastructure, and public policy to enable genuine closed-loop recycling.

The report examines the transition of the carpet industry toward a circular economy, focusing on the French and European markets. It finds that the vast majority of carpets end up in landfills or incinerators, with actual recycling rates for industry leaders like Interface and Desso being significantly lower than their public commitments. The document specifically highlights the 'scandal' of single-use carpets in the French events sector and provides recommendations for manufacturers, policymakers, and consumers to implement closed-loop systems and eco-design.

The report highlights that South Africa wastes approximately 10 million tonnes of food annually, representing a third of its total production. This waste results in significant economic losses of R61.5 billion and substantial environmental degradation, including the waste of 1.7 km3 of water and the emission of greenhouse gases from landfills. The document identifies that most waste occurs at the pre-consumer stage, particularly on farms, and calls for a coordinated effort between the public and private sectors to implement the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 target of halving food waste by 2030.

The United States generates over 250 million tons of municipal solid waste and 9 trillion gallons of wastewater annually, yet recovers less than 18 percent of the potential 10.5 million metric tons of biomethane available. Current landfill systems are inefficient, leading to significant fugitive methane emissions, while many wastewater treatment facilities lack anaerobic digesters or flare excess biogas. The document advocates for a shift toward organic waste diversion and anaerobic digestion, which can result in negative lifecycle emissions. It highlights the potential for waste-derived fuel to power 10.4 million cars or 13.7 million homes and suggests that the EPA's designation of biogas-derived electricity as a renewable biofuel could generate 90 million renewable identification numbers (RINs) annually to support electric vehicle infrastructure.

The Eden District Municipality (EDM) is seeking a private partner for a 10-year PPP to develop, finance, and operate a regional landfill in the Mossel Bay area to serve Bitou, George, Knysna, and Mossel Bay. The project includes the bulk transfer of waste from George, Knysna, and Bitou, and the implementation of alternative waste treatment (AWT) technologies to reduce landfill volumes. The regional landfill is designed for a 50-year lifetime, with initial cells covering 200 ha and reaching 12m above ground level. Bidders must demonstrate technical and financial capacity, including a minimum of 70 points on a technical evaluation scale, and provide proof of B-BBEE compliance and tax clearance.

The report finds that global methane emissions from landfills are likely 10-15 Tg CH4/yr, significantly lower than the ~35 Tg reported by IPCC-based methodologies. It argues that developing countries will not follow the historical trajectory of industrialized nations toward heavy landfill reliance due to established recycling cultures, space constraints in megacities, and high organic waste content. The author identifies a 'gulf' between waste management field studies and climate modeling, noting that IPCC defaults often overestimate landfilling rates and underestimate food waste fractions. Among mitigation options, aerobic composting is highlighted as the most viable for developing countries because it is low-cost, suited to high-organic waste, and reduces leachate. Projections suggest that expanding composting could reduce 2030 methane emissions by approximately 34% compared to a reference scenario, while combined incineration and composting could reduce them by 43%.

The document critiques the application of carbon trading in Africa, asserting that the continent remains marginal to the global market. It highlights how the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) creates perverse incentives, such as rewarding illegal gas flaring in Nigeria or subsidising fossil fuel dependence, while providing minimal financial benefit to local communities. The author argues that carbon offsets act as an 'avoided responsibility mechanism' for the global North and recommends shifting toward more just forms of climate finance.

The World Resources Institute analysis finds that while existing federal and state tools can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, even the most ambitious 'Go-Getter' scenario falls short of the U.S. Copenhagen pledge to reduce emissions 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. The report models three levels of regulatory ambition—Lackluster, Middle-of-the-Road, and Go-Getter—across key sectors including power plants, transportation, and industry. It concludes that additional legislative action is necessary to meet international climate targets and the long-term goal of 80 to 95 percent reductions by 2050.

The report argues that reducing methane (CH4) emissions is critical for slowing global warming in the next two decades, particularly in the Arctic, due to methane's high warming potential and short atmospheric lifespan. It identifies agriculture, waste management, and energy production as the primary anthropogenic sources and evaluates the cost-effectiveness of various mitigation strategies. While sectors like natural gas and coal mining offer high low-cost reduction potentials, the report highlights significant barriers including inadequate regulation, financial risks, and limitations within the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism. To address these, the document proposes the creation of a Global Methane Fund.

The report finds that the average Welsh resident's Ecological Footprint (EF) of 5.25 gha/cap is significantly higher than the global biocapacity of 1.8 gha/cap, implying that nearly three Earths would be needed if everyone lived like a Welsh resident. Food and drink consumption is the largest single component of the EF, while energy consumption is the primary driver of CO2 emissions. The study highlights a discrepancy between 'producer responsibility' (territorial emissions) and 'consumer responsibility' (emissions from consumption), noting that Wales carries an environmental burden for consumption occurring outside its borders. Sectoral analyses suggest that while organic farming and energy efficiency schemes offer some reductions, the most significant potential for lowering the EF lies in dietary changes, a shift toward renewable energy (particularly wind), and aggressive demand management in transport.

The document analyzes methane emissions from Brazil's waste sector, noting that in 2022, the sector contributed 15% of total national methane emissions, with 68% of those stemming from solid waste disposal. It outlines the institutional framework, including the National Solid Waste Policy and the Basic Sanitation Legal Framework, while highlighting significant challenges such as low recycling rates (4%) and the continued use of open dumps (26% of collected municipal solid waste). The factsheet proposes opportunities for mitigation through improved organic waste treatment, methane recovery systems at landfills, and the development of waste-fee systems to finance infrastructure.

The guide establishes a four-stage methodology (planning, design, field, and analysis) for municipalities to collect reliable data on waste generation, density, and composition. It categorizes municipalities by population size and distinguishes between household and non-household generators. The framework was piloted in Cayambe and Puerto López, providing data on per capita generation and organic content to inform national sustainable waste management policies.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) utilizes a specialized gas analyser kit, specifically the ABB GLA-131 model, to detect methane and carbon dioxide emissions. The tool uses laser absorption spectroscopy to identify gas concentrations with high precision, including methane detection at levels below 1ppb. While the analyser can detect diffused emissions kilometers away from a source and confirm the gas identity, it is used for qualitative detection of concentrations rather than the quantification of emission rates, which would require additional meteorological data and scientific expertise. CATF employs the analyser as a complement to optical gas imaging (OGI) cameras to provide a more comprehensive view of emissions from sources such as landfills, gas capture wells, and anaerobic digesters.