Remote sensing technology to enhance monitoring of methane emissions from waste

Abstract

The impact of methane in the atmosphere has become a major concern in the climate change arena, as it is the second-largest contributor to anthropogenic global warming. Methane’s global warming potential (GWP) over a 20-year times¬cale is approximately 80 times greater than that of carbon dioxide, although its atmospheric lifetime is shorter. Since pre-industrial times, methane has contributed to a 0.5°C increase in global tem¬peratures (Yuhan Jiang, 2024).The Global Methane Budget 2024 Report indicates that global meth¬ane emissions have accelerated over the past five years. To date, climate experts have not observed any significant decline in methane emissions from human activities. Waste is the fourth-largest source of global meth¬ane emissions. Between 2000 and 2020, South Asia generated 334 million tons of waste annually, of which about 70% was organic (Toha Mohammad, 2025). Methane emissions from landfills remain a continuous and pressing issue; in Sri Lanka, nearly 16% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions orig¬inate from waste.