New Research Reveals Higher Levels of Emissions from Landfills

Based on satellite data collected from four major cities in Argentina, Pakistan, and India, landfills are emitting higher levels of methane than previously estimated, according to a new study from the Netherlands Institute for Space Research. The data came from 2018 and 2019, and was collected from Buenos Aires, Delhi, Mumbai, and Lahore (Pakistan). Research shows that the emissions were 1.4 to 2.6 times higher than previous estimates.

The study's lead author is atmospheric scientist Joannes Maasakkers. The objective in publishing this research is to help local governments to pinpoint areas of major concern and more efficiently guide their efforts to limit global warming.

According to Maasakkers, "This is the first time that high-resolution satellite images have been used to observe landfills and calculate their methane emissions. We found that these landfills, which are relatively small compared to city sizes, are responsible for a large fraction of total emissions from a given area."

The study was published by Science Advances last week, and in an article published by NPR, a scientist at the University of London commented on the importance of properly managing landfills. Euan Nesbit, an Earth scientist, remarked that it is especially vital to manage landfills in areas where fires frequently occur. When landfills are on fire, they release an even wider range of damaging pollutants.

The article by NPR states that at least three landfill fires have occurred in India this year. China, India, and Russia are responsible for the highest levels of methane emissions worldwide, according to analysis from the International Energy Agency.

11% of greenhouse gas emissions are methane. It does not remain in the atmosphere as long as other gases—about 12 years—but it is concerning because it traps 80 times as much heat in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide does.

Oil and gas systems, as well as agriculture, are the top two sources of global methane emissions. Third on the list are landfills. High levels of methane are emitted from organic materials in landfills, such as food or paper waste.

Less than a year ago, the operator of a giant landfill in Lahore pointed to higher-than-average amounts of waste entering the landfill as the cause of increased greenhouse gas emissions. "Lahore is a global hotspot of methane emissions," wrote Will Mathis and Akshat Rathi in an article published by Bloomberg. Shortly before, another article was published about a large plume of methane over Lahore that was detected by satellites.