Ghana at risk of missing 2030 methane emissions target, AMA warns, as stakeholders push for more funding and waste separation

Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) officials have warned that Ghana risks missing its target of reducing methane emissions from the waste sector by 30 percent by 2030. This warning was issued at the Accra LOW-M Institutional and Climate Finance Roundtable, organized by AMA, Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO), Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), and C40 Cities.

The roundtable gathered representatives from various ministries and sectors, including the Ministry of Local Government, Finance, Environmental Protection Agency, and waste workers.

Victor Kotey, AMA's Climate Change Focal Point, stated that if the country does not invest considerably more, achieving the 2030 target may become difficult. Currently, Ghana is off track to meet its 2030 emissions reduction goal. The warning follows the UN Environment Programme's annual Emissions Gap Report, which reveals that current policies could still result in a global temperature rise of 2.8°C by the end of the century.

Methane emissions, in particular, are not aligning with countries' pledges under the Global Methane Pledge, which aims for a 30% reduction in global methane emissions by 2030, compared to 2020 levels.

Ghana's Nationally Determined Contributions under the pledge include building three landfills with 50% methane recovery, doubling waste-to-compost capacity, and establishing 200 biogas facilities. Methane is approximately 60-100 times more potent than carbon dioxide over 20 years. The climate action plan under the Accra LOW-M Portfolio aims to separate at least 50% of organic waste by 2030 and divert 30% of organic waste by 2040.