Open burning of waste

The United Nations has raised concerns about the amount of black carbon and methane produced from open burning as a method of waste disposal. Many cities and regions suffer with air pollution and low air quality as a direct result of open burning of waste. It is common for many toxic gases to be released into the atmosphere as a result of open burning of waste. They can include POMs, PAHs, VOCs such as furans; heavy metals such as arsenic, mercury and lead; carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, hydrochloric acid, dioxins, and PCBs. "Some of these pollutants can also end up in the ash that is left behind from open burning of garbage". According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, “burning anything in the outdoors can cause a wildfire ... Debris burning is the number one cause of wildfires in Wisconsin and accounts for thousands of acres of forested land unintentionally burned, and hundreds of structures threatened every year”. In September 2022, an agreement was reached on reducing open waste burning in Africa at the 18th session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN). The conference hosted delegates from 54 African countries.{{cite web |title=African Environment Ministers vow to end plastic pollution, eliminate open dumping and burning of waste, address antimicrobial resistance |url=https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/african-environment-ministers-vow-end-plastic-pollution-eliminate#:~:text=African%20Environment%20Ministers%20vow%20to,of%20waste%2C%20address%20antimicrobial%20resistance ==Sustainability and impact==

The reduction of open burning can drastically change the air pollutants in the local area, therefore having a transformational impact on human health in that particular region. The Global Review on Safer End of Engineered Life suggested that the health of tens of millions of people worldwide was impacted by the disposal practice, with up to one billion tonnes burned globally each year. At a United Nations summit in 2022, the delegation focused on job creation as one potential solution to eradicate the practice of open burning of waste, namely in Africa. EngineeringX produced a report into the open burning of waste in Africa in 2022, where it discussed both the challenges and opportunities. It also planned to hold a multi stakeholder partnership session at COP28 with the ambition of ending the open burning of waste in Africa by 2040. ==References==