Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives

The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) was formed in 2000 by organisations from around the world working independently on environmental justice issues. GAIA works on solutions-oriented efforts like "zero waste"; challenging international plastic waste trade; and addressing air pollution. 

GAIA includes over 1000 member organisations spanning 90 countries and representing a wide array of experiences, cultures, and backgrounds. In many places, member efforts have worked in full cooperation with local waste picker organisations. 

GAIA has been engaged with the CCAC Waste Hub since 2021 and participated in many side events during COP27 and COP28. GAIA’s work is aligned with the The Climate and Clean Air Coalition 2030 Strategy. 

GAIA seeks to lay the groundwork for significantly increased methane reduction from the waste sector, through data-driven implementation and efforts to create the conditions for effective investment in these solutions.

GAIA's core objectives are to:

•  Transform data into strategic action for effective methane reduction through the development of analyses and their application to different national contexts, achieving higher ambition in the waste sector with an increased number of investments in justice-centred solutions and positive media attention, reflecting a positive narrative shift; 
• Support our local partners in advancing meaningful national action strategies (with a particular focus on NDCs and related regulations), by informing and engaging civil society groups at national and regional levels, and helping to develop business case modelling as well as GHG reduction projections; 
• Ensure that the priorities of intergovernmental and financial entities focused on reducing methane’s climate impact (e.g., UN, regional bodies, development banks) are aligned with best practices and justice values, through coalition-building and collaborative partnerships and campaigns that elevate the voices and experiences of civil society and leverage media, expert analyses, and practical case studies.  
  
  The main contact for GAIA is Mariel Vilella, Director of the Global Climate Program at GAIA - mariel [at] no-burn.org (mariel[at]no-burn[dot]org).