The Largest Waste-to-Energy Incineration Organization Officially Joins the Global Low-Carbon Scientific Network
On October 15, 2024, the world's largest waste-to-energy clean power science popularization and advocacy organization, the Global Waste-to-Energy Research and Technology Council (WtERT), announced its official acceptance and inclusion in the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) global organization.
The SDSN (Sustainable Development Solutions Network) was co-founded in 2012 by former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and renowned economist Professor Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University. It was established within the United Nations as the largest global non-profit organization focused on sustainability and carbon neutrality. It is currently also the most influential non-profit organization in the field of global carbon neutrality.
The organization aims to mobilize the expertise, knowledge, and resources of academia, civil society, businesses, and governments to promote sustainable development and drive the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is dedicated to supporting the implementation of the SDGs at both the national and international levels. By integrating various approaches, the organization addresses the interconnected and overlapping economic, social, and environmental challenges the world faces, accelerates collaborative learning, and helps bridge the gap between technical and policy work.
The organization also collaborates closely with UN agencies, multilateral financing institutions, the private sector, civil society, and others. Its organizational structure and management ensure that regional leaders are involved in its development, ensuring an effective framework for decision-making and accountability.
As of 2024, the organization has over 2,000 institutional members across 144 countries/regions, with offices in New York, Paris, and Kuala Lumpur.
1. Non-mainstream Waste-to-Energy Incineration is Advancing into the Global Leading Technologies for Carbon Reduction
The Global Waste-to-Energy Research and Technology Council (WtERT) is a leading non-profit research organization founded in 2002. It was initiated by the Earth Engineering Center (EEC) at Columbia University in New York, USA. For many years, it has been advocating for the use of waste incineration for clean power generation to address the issue of waste accumulation in various countries, turning waste into valuable resources while effectively reducing carbon emissions. WtERT is committed to improving the economic feasibility and environmental performance of waste-to-energy technologies, while also disseminating valuable research findings to the public.
For a long time, WtERT has existed in an alternative and non-mainstream way, coexisting parallel to the global environmental and low-carbon scientific communities. However, the increasingly stubborn and widespread issue of waste accumulation, particularly the intensifying methane emissions from waste that exacerbate climate change, has prompted many environmental idealists to reconsider their previously held anti-incineration stance and the unattainable zero-waste approach. This shift has further highlighted the academic value and practical significance of WtERT's long-term research.
In November 2023, the WtERT Council sent a letter to Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, President of COP28, urging urgent action to divert waste from landfills, which emit large amounts of methane, contributing to global warming. The letter emphasized the importance of waste reduction, reuse, recycling, composting, anaerobic digestion, and waste-to-energy incineration, particularly waste-to-energy incineration for clean power generation, as a critical alternative to landfilling.
2. WtERT to Assist in Solving the Methane Warming Issue from Landfills Globally
Since methane has a warming potential 84 times greater than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, reducing emissions from landfills is a key short-term measure to mitigate climate change.
After joining SDSN, WtERT will leverage its expertise within SDSN to promote waste-to-energy (waste-to-clean power incineration) as a critical component of climate action infrastructure. By advancing knowledge of sustainable WtE technologies, WtERT will contribute science-based data to support the circular economy, reduce reliance on landfills, and drive climate resilience through responsible waste management.
Through this collaboration, WtERT is committed to sharing actionable knowledge and research-driven data with SDSN members and partners, promoting evidence-based policy solutions to support countries in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This partnership highlights the shared commitment of both parties to circular economy strategies and a sustainable, inclusive future.
Source:https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/YiGa3M7bhLGg8oKioRcEcA