IEA Urges Waste Cuts to Slash Global Emissions
A special report from the International Energy Agency identifies waste prevention, recycling and energy recovery as high-potential emissions levers.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Environmental
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The International Energy Agency released a special report at COP31 in Antalya identifying opportunities to cut waste, improve resource efficiency and reduce emissions. The report, prepared at the request of COP31 President Türkiye, sets out a package of actions across waste prevention, collection and recycling, and energy recovery.
Why it matters
Municipal waste disposal, treatment and incineration account for around 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly one-fifth of human-caused methane emissions. Many of the report's measures rely on proven technologies, making near-term action feasible for governments worldwide.
The International Energy Agency's special report projects that the identified actions could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by more than 1.5 billion tonnes annually by 2035, out of roughly 2.6 billion tonnes of municipal waste generated each year. The extraction does not specify the baseline scenario against which this reduction is measured.
The players
International Energy Agency (IEA)
An intergovernmental organization founded in 1974 that advises member governments on energy policy and data.
Fatih Birol
Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, who made a public statement on the report.
The details
The report examines opportunities at the intersection of waste reduction, resource efficiency and energy systems decarbonisation. It highlights three high-potential areas: waste prevention, improved collection and recycling, and sustainable energy recovery from residual organic waste, and projects that the measures could help double global plastics recycling and enable a fourfold increase in biogases production by 2035.
Timeline
• November 11, 2026: Report launched at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye.
• 2035: Target year for projected emissions reduction and doubling of global plastics recycling.
The Big Picture
The report, launched at COP31 under Türkiye's presidency, extends the climate negotiation agenda beyond energy generation into municipal waste systems that are often overlooked in emissions accounting. It supports Türkiye's stated goal of advancing zero waste and circular economy approaches on the international stage.
Municipal waste systems could become a larger lever for reducing methane and carbon emissions if the proposed measures are adopted at scale. Residents and municipalities may see changes in how waste is prevented, collected, recycled and converted to energy in the years ahead.
The takeaway
Reducing waste is one of the more immediately actionable paths to lower emissions, since many of the required tools already exist. Individuals can support it by cutting unnecessary consumption and sorting recyclables correctly.
Further reading
For broader context on emissions and waste policy, explore the Environmental section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by IEA.
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