Mission Biogas: Mission Possible at forthcoming World Biogas Summit in Birmingham, UK
Press release
Mission Biogas: Mission Possible at forthcoming World Biogas Summit (10-11 July, Birmingham, UK)
Senior Representatives from the UN, OECD, CACC, PepsiCo, TotalEnergies and leading environmental organisations will gather at the NEC Birmingham on 10-11 July to discuss #MakingBiogasHappen on a global scale.
The World Biogas Summit 2024, organised by the World Biogas Association (WBA) next month, is poised to be a pivotal moment in this year’s industry calendar, following the publication of the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook 2023 – which forecasts a rapid growth of the anaerobic digestion (AD) and biogas sector to 2030.*
Over two days of high-level strategic debates, this thought-leadership forum uniquely dedicated to AD and biogas will review all the key aspects of this fast-developing sector – from the international context and emerging markets to waste management, city infrastructure and finance – and the increasingly significant role it plays in providing solutions to climate change and other global challenges – such as energy and food security as well as air and ocean pollution. A fascinating CEOs forum will also see major companies such as TotalEnergies and PepsiCo explain how they plan to integrate biogas into their operations to reduce their carbon footprint.
Leading the confirmed speakers’ line-up will be Professor Rachel Kyte, Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, CEO of Sustainable Energy for All, and Former Vice President of the World Bank Group, who will join via online link. Other key industry stakeholders participating in the event include Jo Tyndall, Director, Environment Directorate, OECD, Donovan Storey, Global Waste Hub Lead, Climate and Clean Air Coalition, Nicholas Jenks, Climate Solutions Director, PepsiCo and Olivier Guerrini, Vice-President, TotalEnergies.
“In preventing methane emissions, anaerobic digestion (AD) is recognised as one of the fastest, most low-cost ways to keep a 1.5C world within reach,” explains Charlotte Morton OBE, WBA Chief Executive.
“At its full potential, it could deliver 50% of the Global Methane Pledge, to which 155 countries are signatories. Methane mitigation is one of the best strategies available today to deliver immediate and long-lasting benefits for climate, agriculture, human and ecosystem health. The positive and wide-reaching impacts of AD are starting to prove irresistible to governments and investors alike and this is why attending the World Biogas Summit is so important to engage with everyone involved in scaling up this game-changing technology to its global potential”.
At the Summit, the World Biogas Association will be presenting its ground-breaking #MakingBiogasHappen programme, which aims to significantly reduce the time it takes to put in place the policies, regulations and standards needed to grow a biogas industry in any country – through the development of a Global Biogas Regulatory Framework and International Anaerobic Digestion Certification Scheme.
The World Biogas Summit will be co-located with the World Biogas Expo, organised by WBA in partnership with the UK Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) and which will provide delegates with an opportunity to hear about the latest industry trends, discover technological innovations and engage with over 150 industry operators and service providers exhibiting in the hall.
In the evening of 10th July, WBA and ADBA will also host the AD and Biogas Industry Awards Ceremony during which the winners of this year’s competition will be revealed. The prestigious black-tie event, this year at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham, will be hosted by sustainability champion Chris Hines MBE, former Sustainability Director of the Eden Project, Special Adviser to the UK Minister for the Environment Michael Meacher, and Co-Founder and former Director of Surfers against Sewage.
*between 8% and 22% / year by 2030. Source: IEA, World Energy Outlook 2023
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For further information:
Jocelyne Bia, Senior Communications Consultant
jbia@worldbiogasassociation.org; +44 (0)20 3176 0592
Notes to editors:
- Photos:
- Prof Rachel Kyte
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- Other speakers mentioned:
- The World Biogas Summit was launched by WBA in 2019 as the only global thought-leadership forum dedicated to anaerobic digestion and biogas. Now in its fifth year, it brings together industry leaders, policy-makers other agenda-setting speakers from around the world to discuss the role of AD and biogas in addressing climate change and other global environmental and societal challenges.
- Past Summits welcomed: UNFCCC Manager Niclas Svenningsen, former French Agriculture Minister and spokesperson for the Hollande government Stéphane Le Foll, White House Liaison for Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry Rick Duke, the second Lady of Ghana H.E. Hadjia Samira Bawumia, US Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, International Energy Agency Deputy Executive Director Keisuke Samadori, Drew Shindell, Special Representative for Action on Methane at the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, Justin Goldstein, Vice-President of Goldman Sachs, Jennifer Sara from the World Bank, and representatives from the IPCC, UK Department for International Trade, Nestlé, Arla, Amaresco, Heineken, Credit Suisse and many others.
- Launched at COP22 in Marrakesh in 2016, the World Biogas Association is the global trade association for the biogas, landfill gas and anaerobic digestion (AD) sectors, and is dedicated to facilitating the recycling of all organic wastes, crop residues and break crops through biogas technologies such as anaerobic digestion (AD) globally. It believes that the global adoption of these technologies is a multi-faceted opportunity to produce clean, renewable energy, bioCO2 and natural fertilisers while resolving global issues related to development, public health and economic growth. www.worldbiogasassociation.org
- WBA’s mission is to ensure that the 105bn tonnes of organic wastes produced every year by human activity are captured, treated and transformed through anaerobic digestion and complementary technologies into green gas, biofertilisers, bioC02, and other valuable bioproducts, thus:
- preventing methane and other greenhouse gases emissions
- reducing pollution of rivers and oceans
- helping prevent 3.7m deaths annually caused by burning traditional domestic fuels
- improving air quality, soil health and human health
- boosting energy and food security
- supporting biodiversity
- being part of a circular economy worth US$34tn
- creating 10 to 15 million new green jobs