The study measured methane emissions at about 20 percent of about 1,200 large, operating landfills in the United States. It adds to a growing body of evidence that landfills are a significant driver of climate change, said Riley Duren, founder of the public-private partnership Carbon Mapper, who took part in the study.

“We’ve largely been in the dark, as a society, about actual emissions from landfills,” said Mr. Duren, a former NASA engineer and scientist. “This study pinpoints the gaps.”

  • Bleeping Lobster@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    I’ve always thought… Why can’t we put a perspex dome or something like thick clingfilm over a landfill site, and tap the methane?

    • silence7OPM
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      3 months ago

      You can cap a landfill and collect the methane, but there usually isn’t enough for it to pay to pipe it anywhere. As such, tends to be flared on-site when something like that is installed.