Greenhouse gas emissions from waste sectors in China during 2006–2019: Implications for carbon mitigation

Abstract

Reducing carbon emissions has been the consensus among countries worldwide. As an important anthropogenic source of greenhouse gas (GHG), however, the GHG emission pattern from the waste sector in China’s cities and counties is unclear which hinders the development of an effective strategy for GHG reduction. In this study, the GHG emissions from the waste sector of China during 2006–2019 were studied based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) inventory models. The total GHG emissions from the waste sector increased from less than 55.38 million metric tons (Mt) in 2006–178.06 Mt in 2019, with landfills accounting for the majority of GHG emissions. The proportion of GHG emissions from municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration increased rapidly from 7.8% in 2006 to 22.4% in 2019. The GHG emissions increased rapidly from less than 2.67 Tg in 2006–55.64 Mt in 2019, with the contribution increasing from 4.8% to 31.2%, as more MSW was landfilled. Among the seven regions of China, Eastern China contributed the most to GHG emissions. Therefore, there is a significant GHG mitigation potential in the MSW disposal sector. These findings indicate that GHG mitigation strategies should be based on the MSW generation and disposal situation, economic level, and operational management level of each region and province.