Nearly 60% of the waste in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania is food waste, which produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. To address this issue, Tanzania is embarking on a journey to reduce methane emissions through collaborative efforts aimed at enhancing urban resilience and tackling climate change. The country will be included in a global methane initiative spearheaded by the World Bank, as part of its Climate Action Plan.
Methane is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Therefore, addressing it is not only a significant challenge but also has major benefits in the fight against global warming.
The Government of Tanzania, private sector, civil society, communities, and households will collaborate to reduce methane produced from livestock and agriculture sectors and solid waste produced in Dar es Salaam. The British High Commission, Government of Sweden, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of the Netherlands, and the World Bank have joined this effort as part of a broader push to improve solid waste management in Dar es Salaam.
Globally, the livestock sector contributes 14.5% of all man-made greenhouse gas emissions with the largest contribution from methane produced by animal digestive systems. In Tanzania specifically, a single cow emits over 80 kg of methane per year and with a cattle population of 36.6 million, this becomes a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions.
The World Bank is developing a Results Framework for monitoring methane emissions in livestock operations in Tanzania. This will help track progress and foster consistent project assessments and accurate emission baselines to enhance the efficiency of methane emission reduction efforts.
In Dar es Salaam specifically, solid waste is responsible for 55% of methane emissions from the city. However, by deploying established technologies at scale it is possible to reduce up to 80% of these emissions.
John Morton, Senior Urban Specialist at the World Bank said: “Dar es Salaam boasts numerous innovative programs tackling food waste, with vast potential to mitigate the city's impact on global climate change; the World Bank initiative aims to collaborate with these groups, leveraging their expertise and local insights on climate change to scale them at a city level.”
The Dar es Salaam Metropolitan Development Project (DMDP) will support Tanzania’s methane mitigation efforts. The project aims to modernize the city's waste management infrastructure, focusing on reduction, reuse, recycling, and treatment. DMDP Coordinator Nyariri Nanai emphasized: “Tanzania is committed to methane reduction through comprehensive waste management strategies as part of the DMDP, ensuring a cleaner, more sustainable future for all Tanzanians.”
Kemi Williams, Development Director at the British High Commission in Tanzania said: “The UK’s vision is to work with partners to mitigate, adapt and build resilience to climate change, and protect nature. Through this project, we have the opportunity to work with Dar es Salaam city authorities and the World Bank, to simultaneously improve urban resilience and the city’s waste management systems.”
The success of this initiative depends on collective efforts from various stakeholders including government agencies, NGOs, private sector entities, financiers and donors. Through united efforts, this initiative aims to set a benchmark for sustainable urban development and climate resilience in Tanzania.