Mohamed A. Sultan

But that is changing.

It's changing because we're growing populations, we're growing our economies.

And so we've kind of got to embrace this duality, where we absolutely need to usher in a new developmental model that rapidly lifts people out of poverty, creates opportunity and provides for more dignity, but to do so in a way that minimizes

these emissions that are creating the vulnerability that plagues us today.

And luckily, it's happening in many ways on the continent.

Let's think back to those burning landfills that we discussed.

Well, in Durban, a different picture is coming up.

Organizations have come together, civil society, government officials, research institutions, to ensure that no or less organic waste ends up in a landfill 35 kilometers outside of the city

and therefore hopefully limiting methane emissions.

And to do so, they've partnered with two of the largest city fruit and vegetable markets.

And rather than throwing away unused or unsold produce, they collect it and they transform it into an asset class.

They compost it.

Remarkably, over two years, they've been able to divert 277 tons of organic waste away from that landfill.

They've created sustainable, safe, well-paying jobs for the community.

They have reduced the city's costs in landfilling and transportation.

And that compost is going in to improve the quality of city parks.

that families like yours and mine can end up enjoying.

These are real benefits that also end up reducing methane, and it is the power of community-driven action underpinned by a circular economy approach that is part and parcel of the systemic change that we need to see and that needs to be supported by better policy, better financing and improved governance.

But let's also talk about energy, fossil fuels.

Major contributor to global methane emissions.