The Earth is becoming warmer. In fact, the last six years have been the warmest on record. The cause of this is excessive emissions of greenhouse gases which are linked directly to human activity.
Society-induced climate change is seriously impacting people, the economy, and the environment and will continue to do so in the future.
Greenhouse gases are associated with human activities such as fossil derived energy, carbon intensive products, transport, consumerism, and waste disposal. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary greenhouse gas by volume and the largest contributor to changing climates. In the UK, emissions of CO2 accounted for 80% of emissions compared to global emissions (66%).
To avoid a global catastrophe, almost all countries have agreed to take action to limit the amount of greenhouse gases that are emitted to the atmosphere.
Consumerism the management of unwanted resources are intrinsically linked to global warming, climate change and their impacts. Developing our Zero Waste 2040 Strategy and aiming for a zero waste society can go some way to mitigating these impacts.
In the UK, the government has set a target of zero carbon by 2050 and local authorities, including ourselves at Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA), have declared climate emergencies. Our commitment to carbon reduction directly supports the climate emergency aims of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority which has itself a net zero carbon target of 2040.
MRWA has also developed a Climate Action Plan (CAP) and will set challenging carbon reduction targets.
In the Plan, we have highlighted a range of direct and indirect relationships and associated activities that contribute to global warming and climate change. The following core areas have been identified for action:
Energy conservation, consumption, and production
- Buildings
- Facilities
- Resources
- Transport
- Renewable energy
- Recycling and reuse
- Resource management
Closed landfill management
- Gas control
- Carbon sequestration
- Carbon storage
- Waste stream and waste treatment impacts
- Food Waste
Textiles
- Furniture
- Plastic
- WEEE
Driving and influencing these relationships, as well as implementing the National Waste and Resources Strategy at the City Region level, will ensure that carbon emissions from future activities are reduced, offset, or removed.