Exclusive Satellite Images Show Methane Cloud Near Pakistan Landfill
Scientists say reducing emissions of methane, which has 84 times the warming power of carbon dioxide during its first two decades in the atmosphere, is one of the fastest and cheapest ways to cool the planet. Throughout COP27, Bloomberg Green will exclusively publish new satellite images of methane releases around the world, in collaboration with emissions monitoring firm GHGSat Inc.
Near Lahore, Pakistan, Nov. 10, 1:35 pm local time
The growth of South Asian megacities has spawned regional methane hotspots linked to landfills. GHGSat attributed the latest observation, outside of Lahore, to the waste sector and estimated the plume's emissions rate at 1,403 kilograms per hour.
The source of emissions in South Asia observed by satellite are different from major emitters such as the US or Russia, where the lion's share of releases are linked to oil, gas and coal operations. Last year, more than half of all methane emissions measured globally from landfills by GHGSat were in Asia.
Piles of garbage generate the potent greenhouse gas when organic material such as food scraps break down in the absence of oxygen. Landfills and wastewater are responsible for about 20% of the methane emissions generated from human activity, and failing to curb releases from the sector could derail global climate goals.
The Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency didn't immediately respond to an email sent outside normal business hours over the weekend. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Climate Change acknowledged a WhatsApp message seeking comment but did not immediately provide one. Diverting food scraps and other organics before they enter a landfill is crucial to limiting future emissions. The impact of legacy dumps can be mitigated through
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