The decomposition of food waste in landfills in places like Buenos Aires, New Delhi, Mumbai and Lahore is releasing thousands of tons of methane gas, one of the main heaters on the planet, a new study has concluded.
With about 570 million tons of greenhouse gases emitted each year from industrial and natural processes, the concentration of methane in the atmosphere has been increasing at a record pace, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
In some countries, the main source is in agriculture, mainly in cattle, but also in other herds and birds. In the United States, the industry Petroleum and gas is the main culprit.
But there is also another major global source, in this case, garbage.
With data from a satellite-equipped detector showing high levels of methane over cities in India, Pakistan, and Argentina, a team of scientists took a closer look to determine the emission sources.
High-resolution satellite images captured in 2020 revealed that methane is coming from landfills in Argentina's capital Buenos Aires, the Indian cities of New Delhi and Mumbai, and Pakistan's second-largest city, Lahore, according to the study. published this Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.
One of the landfills in Mumbai, for example, was emitting 9.8 tonnes of methane per hour, or 85,000 tonnes per year, according to the study's findings.
The landfill in Buenos Aires emits around 250,000 tonnes annually, half of the city's total methane emissions.
Sources: investing.com
