Hey eco-warriors! 🌿 Did you know that methane emissions from nearly two dozen US landfills are off the charts? 😱 A recent analysis published on Thursday reveals that these landfills are regularly exceeding federal limits, and sometimes even reporting lower emissions than what's actually happening! Talk about a plot twist! 😲
The environmental nonprofit Industrious Labs took a deep dive into inspection reports and concluded that the current regulations by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just aren't cutting it. Landfills, aka our garbage dumps, are letting out massive amounts of methane—a greenhouse gas that's way more potent than carbon dioxide in the short term. Yikes! 🌍🔥
So, what's the game plan? 🧐 Industrious Labs is calling on the EPA to step up its game with some serious upgrades:
- Use advanced tech for better monitoring 📡
- Extend regulations to cover smaller landfills ♻️
- Fast-track the installation of gas-capturing systems as landfills grow ⚡
Methane accounts for over 14% of US methane emissions in 2022, making landfills the third-biggest source after the oil & gas and livestock sectors. That's huge! 🐄🏭
\"More and more evidence is piling up that it's time for the EPA to act and begin that process of updating the rule,\" said Katherine Blauvelt, Circular Economy Director at Industrious Labs, in an interview.
The EPA acknowledges that methane emissions are not just harmful but also a missed opportunity to harness an energy resource. They noted that food waste is responsible for about 58% of fugitive methane emissions from landfills. Their recommendation? Divert food waste from landfills. Makes sense, right? 🍕🚯
By August this year, the EPA is required to start reassessing its landfill regulations. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden's administration is already cracking down on methane emissions in the oil and gas industry and is leading global efforts to slash methane emissions. 🌐🤝
It's time to turn trash into treasure and protect our planet! Are you in? 💪🌎
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
