Pollution In India: Satellite Image Shows Methane Cloud Near Landfill

New Delhi: A high-resolution satellite image taken less than 48 hours ago shows a cloud of the powerful greenhouse gas methane near a waste facility in India. The image is the second in a series of exclusive observations Bloomberg Green will publish during COP27 from emissions monitoring firm GHGSat Inc.

The detection highlights how piles of garbage, which generate the potent greenhouse gas when organic material like food scraps break down in the absence of oxygen —are triggering some of the world’s strongest and most persistent methane emissions. Landfills and wastewater are responsible for about 20% of the methane emissions generated from human activity.

The satellite image was taken at 1:28 pm Mumbaitime on November 5 and shows a plume of methane that GHGS attributed to a landfill in India. The estimated emissions rate was 1,328 kilograms per hour of methane. Landfills tend to be persistent emitters, according to the Montreal-based company. Scientists say reducing the emissions of the potent greenhouse gas, 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, Bloomberg reported.

Failing to curb releases from the waste sector could derail global climate goals. 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 aerating piles of trash and gas capture systems.

The latest imagery comes as world leaders gather in Egypt this week to discuss climate change policy, with the UN warning that global temperatures in 2022 are likely to end about 1.15C above the average in pre-industrial times, making it the fifth or sixth hottest year on record.

What is methane?

Methane is the primary component of natural gas and is responsible for about 30% of the Earth’s warming. Leaks can occur during the extraction and transport of the fossil fuel, but methane is also routinely generated as a byproduct of oil and coal production and if operators don’t have the infrastructure to get the gas to market they may release it into the atmosphere.