Quantifying methane emissions from United States landfills. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38547284/)

These scientists wanted to understand how much methane gas is released from garbage dumps, which can contribute to climate change. They studied hundreds of large garbage dumps in the United States from 2016 to 2022. They used special cameras on airplanes to measure the methane gas coming from these dumps. They found that more than half of the garbage dumps they studied were releasing a lot of methane gas. They also compared their findings with other measurements taken at the same time and found that their results matched up well. This study shows that we need to keep a close eye on how much methane gas is coming from garbage dumps to help protect the environment.

Cusworth DH., Duren RM., Ayasse AK., Jiorle R., Howell K., Aubrey A., Green RO., Eastwood ML., Chapman JW., Thorpe AK., Heckler J., Asner GP., Smith ML., Thoma E., Krause MJ., Heins D., Thorneloe S. Quantifying methane emissions from United States landfills. Science. 2024 Mar 29;383(6690):1499-1504. doi: 10.1126/science.adi7735. Epub 2024 Mar 28.