{"id":49865,"date":"2024-01-29T13:37:51","date_gmt":"2024-01-29T13:37:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/?p=49865"},"modified":"2024-01-30T09:57:56","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30T09:57:56","slug":"biden-misses-chance-to-tackle-huge-us-landfill-emissions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/2024\/01\/29\/biden-misses-chance-to-tackle-huge-us-landfill-emissions\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden misses chance to tackle “huge” US landfill emissions"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/span>“shocked” at the “huge” scale of the leaks.<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Climate Trace’s map of US landfill emissions with bigger circles for more emissions (Photos: Climate Trace<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

That’s similar to the whole of Ethiopia’s emissions and a third higher than the 126 million tonnes the US government tells the United Nations<\/a> its landfills emit, a figure worked out using a formula.<\/p>\n

But, in its fourth year in power, campaigners say Joe Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has missed its chance to\u00a0 improve regulations on the sector.<\/p>\n

Weak regulations<\/h3>\n

Kait Siegel campaigns against waste sector emissions at the Clean Air Task Force. She told Climate Home that US federal regulations on landfills are “weak”.<\/span><\/p>\n

The companies which operate landfills are supposed to capture this gas but not for the landfill’s first five years and not if it’s a smaller landfill – broad exceptions which don’t apply<\/a> in most European countries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

US states can force operators to do more to clean up but so far only California, Maryland and Oregon have done so, she said.<\/span><\/p>\n