By Magdalena Mis, Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Biogas from human waste has the potential to generate electricity for millions of homes while improving health and protecting the environment, a United Nations University institute said on Tuesday.
The biogas potentially available from all the human waste in the world would be the equivalent of up to $9.5 billion (€8.67 billion) worth of natural gas a year and could produce electricity for as many as 138 million homes, the UN Institute for Water, Environment and Health said in a study.
In low-income countries, the use of biogas - generated by bacteria breaking down the waste - could finance development, it said.