GAIA (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Environment)

Context: The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) Asia Pacific has urged the ASEAN to take decisive action in addressing plastic pollution.

Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA)

• About: GAIA is a worldwide alliance of more than 1,000 grassroots groups, non-governmental organizations, and individuals.
• Objective: It aims to power a transition away from our current linear and extractive economy and towards a circular system that supports people’s right to a safe and healthy environment.
• Vision: GAIA envisions a just, zero-waste world built on respect for ecological limits and community rights, where people are free from the burden of toxic pollution and resources are sustainably conserved, not burned or dumped.
• Areas of Focus: This entails fighting pollution and building regenerative solutions in cities through local campaigns, shifts in policy and finance, research and communication initiatives, and movement building.
• Primary Points of Intervention: They work on four primary points of intervention: incineration, zero waste, plastic, and climate.

Incineration

• About: It  is the process of burning hazardous materials at temperatures high enough to destroy contaminants.
• Materials Treated: Many different types of hazardous materials can be treated by incineration, including soil, sludge, liquids, and gases.
• Limitations: Although it destroys many kinds of harmful chemicals, such as solvents, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), and pesticides, incineration does not destroy metals, such as lead and chromium.
• Pollution Control: Modern incinerators include air pollution control equipment (e.g., fabric filters, scrubbers, and electrostatic precipitators) to remove fly ash and gaseous contaminants.