Engineering X, an international collaboration founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering and Lloyd’s Register Foundation, in partnership with the United Nations High Level Climate Champions team, has launched a multi-stakeholder partnership to end the open burning of waste in Africa by 2040.
Only 11% of waste from Africa’s urban areas goes to managed landfills, with much of the rest dumped and burned. This has a dramatic impact on human health, with poor air quality linked to 1.2 million premature deaths in Africa annually, and emissions contributing to global climate change.
Without urgent action the problem will worsen, as Africa’s population is urbanizing fast and expected to reach two billion by 2050. Acting on waste will have an economic benefit estimated at $8 billion, and contribute to most UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The new partnership will mobilise African governments and municipalities to implement a landmark September 2022 resolution by African environment ministers to improve waste management through technology, infrastructure, finance and behaviour change.
It was launched by Engineering X following the Solutions Roundtable on Waste Management organised at COP27 by Engineering X with AMCEN (the African Ministerial Conference on Environment) and the United Cities and Local Government of Africa (UCLGA). In addition to these three organisations, signatories to the partnership also include Local Governments for Sustainability Africa (ICLEI Africa), Practical Action, and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) – all dedicated to reducing open waste burning by 60% by 2030, and eliminate it in Africa by 2040.
Recognition of the importance of tackling the open burning of waste is reflected in the unprecedented number of applications recently received by Engineering X in a funding call, open to those working in different disciplines and countries with ideas to help tackle this problem. This has emphasised the critical need for funding in this sector.
“We now have momentum and commitment from politicians, civil society, private sector and development partners to deal with a growing hazard for African people, cities and the environment,” said Desta Mebratu, Waste Management Lead, Engineering X and UN High Level Climate Champion.
Sir Jim McDonald FREng FRSE, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said: “Our Academy is committed to creating a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone. Through our role as a founding partner in Engineering X, we are pleased to have helped highlight the important and under-reported issue of open burning of waste and its global impact on health and the environment, including climate change. Having got the topic on the formal agenda for the first time at COP26, the recent commitment made at AMCEN-18 to tackle the issue of open burning of waste on the continent was very encouraging. We knew COP27 was the next vital opportunity to bring about a real change in current practices that have the potential to improve not only the health, wellbeing and livelihoods of many millions of people but to contribute to the reduction of global pollution and greenhouse gases. The announcement of the multi-stakeholder partnership is therefore a welcome further development and the Academy and Engineering X will continue to support the current momentum behind the movement to phase out open burning.”
Ruth Boumphrey, Chief Executive at Lloyd’s Register Foundation, said: “COP27 is a global platform to advocate for better waste management solutions. This is an urgent but hidden problem on the global stage. We want to work with world leaders to find long-term solutions for the phasing out of the open burning of waste. There is no quick fix, and change on this scale will require collaboration from a range of partner organisations. COP27 is an opportunity to cement this collaboration and ensure its success.”
Engineering X supports the implementation of the open waste burning initiative through a partnership with the UN High Level Climate Champions (UNHLC).
The Workshop on Waste Management in Africa took place at the UCLGA Solutions Forum, COP27 Blue Zone, Sharm El Sheik, 15 November 2022, 10.30-12.30.
Find out more and get involved in the Engineering X Open burning of waste mission
Notes to editors
Included in the partnership are:
- Engineering X
- The African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN)
- United Cities and Local Government of Africa (UCLGA)
- Local Governments for Sustainability Africa (ICLEI Africa)
- Practical Action
- The Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC)
- About Engineering X
Engineering X is an international collaboration founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering and Lloyd’s Register Foundation. It seeks to raise awareness of the challenges and opportunities from open waste burning, and actions by African and global stakeholders. With partners the UN High Level Climate Champions, the aim is to launch a multistakeholder partnership at COP 27 in Egypt, and to on reduce open waste burning by 60% by 2030 and phase it out completely by 2050. - About the Royal Academy of Engineering
The Royal Academy of Engineering is harnessing the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone. In collaboration with our Fellows and partners, we’re growing talent and developing skills for the future, driving innovation and building global partnerships, and influencing policy and engaging the public. Together we’re working to tackle the greatest challenges of our age, including significant work on sustainability and net zero. - About Lloyd’s Register Foundation
Lloyd’s Register Foundation is an independent global charity that helps to protect life and property at sea, on land, and in the air. The Foundation has partnered with the Academy to build on the Academy’s network of global alliances to tackle the most pressing engineering safety and sustainability problems and develop these into practical and accessible outputs for the engineering profession and affected communities.