No smoke without fire

摘要

Open burning of solid waste is a significant source of air pollution and a common practice in many economically developing regions of the world. Globally, around two billion people lack access to municipal solid waste collection services and, typically, they dispose of household waste by open burning. Uncontrolled waste combustion releases emissions of black carbon (BC), commonly known as soot, which has harmful effects on air quality, health, ecosystems and agricultural productivity. Black carbon is also an extremely powerful climate pollutant, with a global heating potential up to 5,000 times greater than carbon dioxide (CO_2).