Global municipal waste surpasses 2.3 Billion tonnes, UN Report warns of dire consequences
United Nations releases alarming data on municipal waste worldwide, predicting sharp rise in garbage production with severe consequences for environment, economy, public health
United Nations released alarming data on municipal waste worldwide on Wednesday, predicting a sharp rise in garbage production with severe consequences for the environment, economy, and public health. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that 2.3 billion tons of municipal garbage were created worldwide in 2018; by 2050, that amount is expected to increase by two-thirds.
According to a recent UNEP study, pollution levels are expected to rise, especially in areas that still rely on open burning and dumping. These practices exacerbate environmental deterioration by releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and leaching harmful chemicals into soils, streams, and the air.
The garbage situation is predicted to worsen rapidly in the absence of prompt action; estimations indicate that it will reach 3.8 billion tons by 2050, much exceeding earlier estimates. The report’s findings about the “hidden costs” of improper garbage disposal—such as pollution, negative health impacts, and climate change—are as concerning. They might almost triple by 2050 and total an astounding $640 billion yearly.
The Executive Director of UNEP, Inger Andersen, underlined the fundamental connection between trash production and GDP development while pointing out the fast-growing nations’ difficulties in handling growing waste quantities. Andersen emphasized the report’s importance in assisting governments in building more sustainable communities and guaranteeing a habitable Earth for coming generations.
The UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi hosted the study unveiling, which was produced in cooperation between UNEP and the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA). It expands on earlier projections, such as a World Bank analysis from 2018 that predicted that by 2050, the world will produce 3.4 billion tons of garbage yearly.
The study was praised by ISWA as a clear call to action and a roadmap, promoting waste avoidance, better disposal techniques, and improved treatment technology. The paper makes the case that implementing a circular economic model might result in significant yearly economic advantages of more than $100 billion while reducing environmental damage.
Lead author Zoe Lenkiewicz stressed the critical need for a paradigm change toward a zero-waste strategy in addition to better waste management techniques in order to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and their detrimental effects on ecosystems and human health.
The study also emphasizes how careless trash disposal has serious negative effects on the ecosystem, including the methane and carbon dioxide that are released from landfills and waste processing plants. Furthermore, burning rubbish releases harmful compounds that are very dangerous to ecosystems and human health. Diseases linked to improper waste management, including as cancer, malaria, heart disease, and diarrhea, are responsible for up to one million fatalities per year.
Source: AFP
