The Guardian: Istanbul's waste sites among those with the highest methane emissions in the world

The Guardian newspaper reported, based on satellite data, that some landfills in Turkey are among the waste facilities with the highest methane emissions in the world. The report stated that an average of 7.4 tons of methane per hour was detected at the waste landfill in Silivri, Istanbul, and approximately 4 tons per hour at the facility in Şile.

According to the newspaper, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) examined 10 landfills in Turkey with high methane emissions using Carbon Mapper satellite data. It was stated that the measurement in Silivri is one of the highest emission rates identified by the researchers globally.

The report noted that the emissions in Silivri are equivalent to the global warming impact of running the engines of approximately 1.5 million high-fuel-consumption SUV vehicles. It was stated that for the facility in Şile, this impact is equivalent to the emissions generated by approximately 800,000 SUV vehicles.

"STAGGERINGLY HIGH"

Cara Horowitz, who leads the UCLA Stop Methane Project and is the Executive Director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, said that the rates at some of the facilities examined in Turkey are remarkable on a global scale. Horowitz commented, "Most of these facilities have staggeringly high methane emission rates, even on a global scale. These are very large leaks, and some are among the largest single human-caused methane sources in the world."

Although methane remains in the atmosphere for a shorter time than carbon dioxide, it is among the critical topics of climate policy due to its powerful impact on global warming. The Guardian's report emphasized that reducing methane emissions could provide quick results in the fight against climate change in the short term.

According to The Guardian, the facility in Silivri is Turkey's largest landfill, where approximately 10,000 tons of waste are processed daily. Some citizens living in the surrounding villages described experiencing intense odor problems, especially on windless nights. Kemalettin Özenç from Yolçatı village said, "The smell is not light; it suffocates you. Sometimes families stay outside until midnight. Even when you go inside, you cannot escape it."

Fatih Arslan, one of the officials at the Silivri facility of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) subsidiary İSTAÇ, stated that the emissions might originate from areas where waste dumping has been completed but have not yet been covered with a clay layer. Arslan said, "This is inevitable. Of course, we need to make improvements." It was reported that approximately 6,000 cubic meters of methane generated from waste per hour is collected at the facility to be used in energy production.

METHANE TOPIC AHEAD OF COP31

The findings came to light ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), which Turkey will host in Antalya in November. The Guardian recalled that Turkey has listed "zero waste" and the reduction of methane emissions as priority topics within the scope of COP31.

The report stated that in a letter sent to the 196 countries expected to attend the summit, Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum said, "Reducing methane emissions is among the fastest and most effective strategies to slow short-term temperature increases. Therefore, the waste sector offers a critical opportunity to provide quick climate gains."

The Guardian also wrote that Turkey is not a party to the Global Methane Pledge, which aims for a 30 percent reduction in global methane emissions by 2030 and is joined by 159 countries. The newspaper also stated that the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality did not respond to questions regarding the methane emissions in Silivri.

News Source: 12punto