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Writes Baboloki Semele
Methane emissions contribute to climate change and air pollution and are thus a major environmental concern. This was revealed by programme manager of solid waste management and circular economy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in India, Richa Singh during a live discussion on CSE’s new report named ‘Methane Emissions from Dumpsites in India.’
She highlighted that therefore estimating these emissions accurately is essential for effective mitigation and management strategies. She mentioned that Methane estimation models play a crucial role in assessing the environmental impact of landfills and devising effective mitigation strategies, adding that when it comes to Indian landfills, these models often produce variable results, posing challenges for policymakers and environmentalists. Singh says there are two ways of estimating methane emissions from landfills or dumpsites theoretically and experimentally.
According to her various theoretical models such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change models, the Landfill Gas Emissions Model, and the Modified Triangular Method are commonly used to predict annual methane emissions, despite their continued reception of criticism due to their poor accuracy and insufficient validation.
Richa says there is a huge disparity in methane emission estimates from Indian landfills/dumpsites, mainly attributed to factors such as inconsistent data collection, variable landfill practices, informal waste disposal, methodological differences, changes over time, and regulatory variations. She mentioned that landfills are the largest third emitter of methane after oil and gas as well as agriculture sectors respectively.
Based on the volume of waste generated, its composition, and how it is managed, it is estimated that 1.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent greenhouse gas emissions were generated from solid waste treatment and disposal in 2016, or 5 percent of global emissions and a further 2.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent is expected in 2050 should there be no behavioural change.
Regarding this, Dr Singh called for the scientific construction of landfills, with the necessary tools to harvest methane and avoid it roaming in the atmosphere. She noted that as one of the greenhouse gases, methane is 28 times more likely to trap heat than carbon dioxide, hence CSE calls for concerted efforts to standardise data collection, invest in modern waste management infrastructure as well as develop region-specific models.
Dr Singh noted that methane acts as ground-level ozone, which is a hazardous air pollutant responsible for millions of premature deaths. Citing CSE’s new report, Methane Emissions from Dumpsites in India, Dr. Sigh highlighted major recommendations being; phasing out the disposal of biodegradable organics in the landfills and instead decompose them in a way that it can be harvested and used as fuel instead.
She also recommended the scientific treatment of biodegradable waste, using biotechnology methods to treat biodegradable waste to produce a nutrient-rich solid material and biogas containing carbon dioxide and methane. This can include further processing for the biogas to burn to produce electricity that can be used to power the plant.
The third major recommendation is to remediate the legacy-based dumpsites. Still, during the discussion of the report, Dr Singh pointed out that the variability in methane estimation models for Indian landfills arises from a combination of factors, including waste composition, data availability, climate variability, waste management practices, population density, and regulatory frameworks, adding that to improve the accuracy of these models, increased collaboration between researchers, policymakers and waste management authorities can help address these challenges and pave the way for more effective methane mitigation strategies in Indian landfills.
She pointed out that to reconcile differing results, it is crucial to critically assess the methodologies, data sources, and assumptions used in different studies. Combining multiple approaches and conducting ongoing monitoring can provide a more accurate picture of methane emissions from dumpsites in Delhi or any other area.
This discussion comes 63 days prior to COP 28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where global leaders with lock heads and discuss how to triple renewable energy output to 11,000 gigawatts by 2030, more than double low carbon hydrogen production to 180 million tons per year by 2030 as well as transform food and agriculture systems through greater investment in agri-tech, smarter water use and food production in an accelerated time frame.