Japan's Waste-to-Power Fix for Asia Undercuts Lower Carbon Goals
- Pollution from incinerators reflects carbon content of waste
- Government to promote disposal method at G-20 meeting in Osaka
A woman bringing trash to a waste centre in the town of Kamikatsu, Tokushima prefecture.
Photographer: Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP via Getty Images
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A Japanese plan to burn waste to generate electricity may help nations overflowing with garbage, but it would also likely complicate global efforts to cut emissions to avoid catastrophic climate change.
Japan is set to promote its homegrown waste-to-power technology when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hosts world leaders at the Group of 20 summit this week. The nation burns more than half its plastic waste for power, and hopes regional neighbors such as Malaysia and Indonesia, which are struggling with swelling volumes of plastic, will buy its technology and know-how.