Transcript:
When you throw away organic materials like food and yard waste, they often end up in landfills, where they release methane as they decompose.
Rummel: “Landfills are the third largest source of methane in the United States.”
Edwin LaMair is with the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund.
When methane is released into the atmosphere, it contributes to climate change because it is a powerful planet-warming gas. In the short term, methane absorbs 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide.
Many landfills are required to report their methane pollution to the EPA, and emissions were reported at 3.7 million tons in 2021.
But Rummel, whose team is using satellite data to track methane in landfills, said the actual number is likely much higher than reported.
LaMair: “Recent satellite measurements suggest actual emissions may exceed 6 million tons per year.”
So to prevent the worst impacts of climate change, it's crucial to reduce this heat-trapping pollution, Rummel said.
For example, landfills can capture the gas and then use it to produce energy.
He said people can first help reduce methane emissions by sending less food and yard waste to landfills.
Report source: Ethan Freedman / ChavoBart Digital Media
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