Climate change mitigation potential in sanitation via off-site composting of human waste

Approximately 4.5 billion people lack access to safely managed sanitation globally, and 1 billion live in slums, often relying on anaerobic waste containment in pit latrines. Providing access to safely managed sanitation may lead to reduced GHG emissions and thus simultaneously address both Sustainable Development Goals. Here we measure cumulative GHG emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) during the off-site composting of human waste to estimate scalable emission factors. We find that CH4 emission factors are one to two orders of magnitude smaller than IPCC values for other excreta collection, treatment and disposal processes. After accounting for GHG emissions throughout the sanitation cycle, including transport, urine and compost end-use, the climate change mitigation potential is 126 kg of CO2-equivalent per capita per year for slum inhabitants. If scaled to global slum populations, composting could mitigate 3.97 Tg CH4 yr−1, representing 13-44% of sanitation sector CH4 emissions

Pectobacterium and Dickeya: Environment to Disease Development

The soft rot Pectobacteriaceae (SRP) infect a wide range of plants worldwide and cause economic damage to crops and ornamentals but can also colonize other plants as part of their natural life cycle. They are found in a variety of environmental niches, including water, soil and insects, where they may spread to susceptible plants and cause disease. In this chapter, we look in detail at the plants colonized and infected by these pathogens and at the diseases and symptoms they cause. We also focus on where in the environment these organisms are found and their ability to survive and thrive there. Finally, we present evidence that SRP may assist the colonization of human enteric pathogens on plants, potentially implicating them in aspects of human/animal as well as plant health