World Bank Warns Global Waste Pile To Grow 70% In Coming Decades

The World Bank has projected in a new report on Thursday that solid waste generation will almost double by 2050, putting lives and livelihoods at risk.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2018) The World Bank has projected in a new report on Thursday that solid waste generation will almost double by 2050, putting lives and livelihoods at risk.

The "What a Waste 2.0" report, a follow-up on the 2012 study, found that rapid urbanization and growing population were likely to increase global waste by 70 percent from 2016 levels in the next 30 years.

A staggering 3.40 billion tons of waste will be generated annually, the organization predicted, up from the current 2.01 billion.

At least 33 percent of that is not being managed in an environmentally safe manner, the World Bank added, with low income countries dumping or burning 90 percent of their waste.

The burning of waste accounted for 5 percent of global emissions in 2016, excluding transportation. This has contributed to global warming and climate change.

The organization warned that lack of action would set the world on path toward overwhelming pollution and urged to support developing countries in managing their waste. It said it had committed over $4.7 billion on such programs globally since 2000.