Training highlights: Low-carbon waste management of the municipal solid waste treatment industry under China’s carbon peak and carbon neutrality target

Carbon training

On April 13-15^th, 2021, the advanced course of “Low-carbon waste management of the municipal solid waste treatment industry under China’s carbon peak and carbon neutrality target”, organized by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and China Association of Urban Environmental Sanitation (CAUES) and conducted by SinoCarbon Innovation & Investment Co., Ltd. was successfully held at Beijing Xiyuan Hotel.

(Relevant persons in charge of domestic waste management from the five demonstration cities, China Association of Urban Environmental Sanitation, China Urban Construction Design & Research Institute, and private enterprises in charge of waste classification, collection, transportation, disposal, and recycling, etc., participated in the training © IWM NAMA)

In the past few decades, China’s waste treatment industry has undergone significant transformation, and has basically achieved harmless treatment of municipal solid waste. Although the greenhouse gas emissions from waste disposal are less and the proportion is small, the major international economies have taken it as one of the major ways to reduce carbon emissions. The nationally determined contribution commitments, the 2030 carbon peak and the 2060 carbon neutrality goals are bounded to drive rapid changes in China’s development. As a public service industry, the municipal solid waste treatment industry is related to the national economy and people’s livelihood, and it will also face unprecedented opportunities and challenges. Therefore, it is necessary to continuously strengthen the awareness of climate change and promote the development of the municipal solid waste treatment industry in order to achieve the goal of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality.

(Ribbon-cutting for lectures by experts and scholars © IWM NAMA)

This training focused on the latest requirements of national carbon peaking and carbon neutralization, combined with the needs of low-carbon development of the municipal solid waste treatment industry. For this, the project team invited authoritative experts from Renmin University of China, Chinese Academy of Environmental Sciences, GIZ, and SinoCarbon. They systematically explained and shared cases on climate change policies and actions, urban carbon emission peaking path researches, carbon market policies, market trend experiences, greenhouse gas emission inventory preparation in the waste sector, greenhouse gas emission reduction accounting and low-carbon development paths in the municipal solid waste treatment industry. At the same time, this course also specially designed practical exercises for the participants to simulate carbon trading market transactions and carbon emission reduction accounting of waste incineration plants, which simulates the real situation in a vivid and funny form.

More than 30 people from the pilot cities Suzhou, Bengbu, and Xi’an, China Association of Urban Environmental Sanitation, China Urban Construction Design & Research Institute, and some private enterprises in waste classification, collection, transportation, disposal, and recycling, etc., participated in the training course. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) of the People’s Republic of China will issue an official certification to those who passed the final training exam.

(Trainees actively participate in the practice of carbon trading market transaction simulation © IWM NAMA)