Rotting food waste buried in landfills produces methane, a greenhouse gas that traps 86 times more heat than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. UNEP warns this source accounts for up to 10 percent of global emissions, five times the entire aviation sector. Over one billion meals are wasted daily, with households generating 60 percent of the total, while agricultural land and water used for uneaten food also go to waste. The good news is that methane breaks down quickly, so cutting food waste can slow warming within decades. UNEP highlights practical tools already in use, from community composting with formalized waste pickers in Africa to black soldier fly facilities recycling organic material. However, FAO notes no tangible progress since 2015, putting the SDG target of halving food waste by 2030 at risk.
