Economics of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from solid waste in Lebanon

Global climate change has been one of the challenging environmental concern s facing policy makers over the past decade. The characterization of the wi de range of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission sources and sinks, as well as the ir behavior in the atmosphere, remains a continuing activity in many countr ies, Solid waste is considered a source of greenhouse gas emissions owing t o microbial decomposition of organic materials, which constitute the greate r portion of solid waste. The extent of these emissions is highly dependent on waste management practices. In many countries, landfills remain an esse ntial part of any waste management system and often the only economic form of municipal solid waste disposal. This paper describes solid waste managem ent practices in Lebanon, estimates the corresponding current and future gr eenhouse gas emissions from this sector, and proposes mitigation alternativ es to reduce these emissions. An economic assessment of these alternatives in the context of characteristics specific to the country is also presented in terms of equivalent cost of emission reduction.