More than half of U.S. landfills seen in aerial images are sources that emit super methane, according to a new study published Tuesday in the journal Science.
The study is the largest analysis of data on methane from landfills, the third-largest source of methane emissions in the United States, and suggests an opportunity to combat climate change by targeting a potent and widespread greenhouse gas.
It was led by the Carbon Mapper research team, with researchers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, Scientific Aviation, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
About 52% of landfills had observable point sources of methane emissions, compared to 0.2% and 1% of “super-emitting” sites in the oil and gas sector, the largest source of methane in the United States.
According to the EPA, superemitters are sources that release at least 100 kg of methane per hour.
According to the study, at large-emitting landfills, 60% had methane leaks that persisted for months or years, while most leaks at super-emitting oil and gas sites were “short-lived events.”
Dan Cusworth, a Carbon Mapper scientist and leader of the study, said identifying these leaks offers a quick way to combat emissions.
“Addressing these elevated methane sources and mitigating persistent emissions from landfills offers a potentially strong climate benefit,” he said in a statement.
Until now, oil and gas have been the primary focus of regulations and voluntary programs in the United States, Europe and elsewhere.
But as more aerial and satellite research is done, regulators will be able to measure, quantify and take action against landfill methane.
To date, companies and regulators have relied on model-based estimates of landfill emissions and research with portable methane sensors, which provide a less complete picture, the study says.
The EPA said that in 2021, 12% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from human activities came from methane.
Source: Terra
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