Research on aerial image data shows that more than half of landfills emit large amounts of methane, with the amount released being second only toOilAndnatural gasThis industry is the third largest source of methane pollution in the United States. This discovery could help tackle climate change.

Environmental Research Organization Carbon Mapper andspaceThe agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, the Scientific Aviation Atmospheric Research Corporation and the Environmental Protection Agency collaborated to conduct the largest study to date on the relationship between landfills and methane. The report was published in “Science”. magazine.

The report shows that, unlike the oil refining and natural gas industries, about 52% of methane emissions are seen from landfills.

The Environmental Protection Agency said so-called “observed” super emitters here refer to places that emit at least 100 kilograms, or 220 pounds, of methane per hour.

The report said 60% of landfills with large emissions release large amounts of methane for months or years. By comparison, most oil and gas industry facilities emit methane for short periods of time.

Dan Cusworth, lead author of the report and a scientist at the Carbon Mapper organization, said that by being able to pinpoint the source of methane emissions, solutions to the “source of the problem” could be quickly proposed. “Tackling these high emission sources and slowing the continued release of methane from landfills is a powerful solution that is good for the climate.”

So far, in European and American countries, despite legislative restrictions or automatic emissions reductions, the main targets have been oil and natural gas companies. As aerial photography and satellite detection data become more complete, officials can measure and quantify carbon emissions from landfills and create regulations.

The report said that in the past, industry and management agencies relied on computer estimation models and data measured by handheld detectors to estimate exhaust emissions from landfills, and were unable to get the full picture. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Notification System, for example, underestimates methane emissions from landfills. Total emissions estimated from aerial photography data are 1.4 times higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s estimate.

A 2021 report from the Environmental Protection Agency reported that methane accounts for 12% of greenhouse gas emissions caused by human behavior in the United States.

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