Biden misses chance to tackle “huge” US landfill emissions
Published on 29/01/2024, 1:37pm
Food and plants dumped into US landfills are rotting and warming the planet but “weak” regulations have not been improved
By Joe Lo
As satellites reveal huge methane leaks from landfills across the USA, the Biden Administration has run out of time to tackle them before November’s election.
When garbage is taken to a landfill, bacteria decompose it and produce methane as a by-product. Unless this gas is captured, it heats up the planet.
Using satellites, scientists can now see how big these leaks are. Ilse Aben, who analyses satellite data at the SRON Netherlands institute for space research, told Climate Home she been “shocked” at the “huge” scale of the leaks.
Climate Trace, an NGO promoted led by former US vice-president Al Gore, estimates the US’s landfill emissions at 169 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent a year.
https://www.climatechangenews.com/2024/01/29/biden-misses-chance-to-tackle-huge-us-landfill-emissions/
