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Landfills are places where a large amount of waste and other refuse is buried in the ground.
垃圾填埋场是（人们）把大量垃圾埋在地下的地方。
They are responsible for releasing a large amount of planet-warming methane gas into the atmosphere, a new study suggests.
一项新的研究表明，它们是向大气中释放大量导致地球变暖的甲烷气体的来源之一。
Scientists used satellite data from four major cities around the world — Delhi and Mumbai in India, Lahore in Pakistan and Buenos Aires in Argentina for the study.
在这项研究中，科学家使用了来自全球四个主要城市——印度的德里和孟买、巴基斯坦的拉合尔和阿根廷的布宜诺斯艾利斯——的卫星数据。
They found that city-level emissions in 2018 and 2019 were 1.4 to 2.6 times higher than earlier estimates.
他们发现，2018年和2019年的城市排放量是此前估计的1.4至2.6倍。
The study was published in Science Advances on Wednesday.
这项研究发表在周三的《科学进展》杂志上。
It is aimed at helping local governments carry out targeted efforts to limit global warming by identifying areas of major concern.
它旨在通过确定重要的关注地区来帮助地方政府开展有针对性的限制全球变暖的行动。
When natural waste like food, wood or paper decomposes, it releases methane into the air.
当食物、木材或纸张等自然垃圾分解时，会向空气中释放甲烷。
Landfills are the third-largest source of methane emissions worldwide, after oil and gas systems and agriculture.
垃圾填埋场是全球甲烷排放的第三大来源，仅次于石油和天然气系统以及农业。
Methane only accounts for about 11 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and lasts about 12 years in the air.
甲烷仅占温室气体排放的约11%，在空气中的存续时间约为12年。
But it traps 80 times more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.
但它在大气中吸收的热量是二氧化碳的80倍。
Scientists estimate that at least 25 percent of today’s warming is driven by methane from human actions.
科学家估计，当今全球变暖至少有25%是由人类活动产生的甲烷导致的。
Joannes Maasakkers, an atmospheric scientist at the Netherlands Institute for Space Research, is a leader of the study.
荷兰空间研究所的大气科学家约安内斯·马萨克斯是这项研究的负责人。
“We found that these landfills, which are relatively small compared to city sizes, are responsible for a large fraction of total emissions from a given area,” he said.
他说：“我们发现，虽然这些垃圾填埋场相对于城市规模来说比较小，但它们在特定区域的总排放量中却占了很大一部分。”
Satellite data to measure emissions is still a new area of study.
利用卫星数据来测量排放量仍是一个新的研究领域。
But it is being used more often to observe gases across the world.
但它正被越来越多地用于观察世界各地的气体。
It means more independent organizations are measuring greenhouse gases and identifying big emitters.
这意味着更多的独立组织正在测量温室气体并确定大型排放者。
Previously, local government figures were the only source available.
以前，地方政府的数据是唯一可用的信息来源。
“This new work shows just how important it is to manage landfills better, especially in countries like India where landfills are often on fire, emitting a wide range of damaging pollutants,” said Euan Nisbet.
尤安·内斯比特说：“这项新研究表明，更好地管理垃圾填埋场是多么重要，尤其是在像印度这样的国家，那里的垃圾填埋场经常着火，释放出各种有害的污染物。”
He is an Earth scientist at the University of London, who was not part of the study.
他是伦敦大学的一名地球科学家，他没有参与这项研究。
Earlier this year, smoke hung over New Delhi for days after a large landfill caught fire during an extreme heat wave.
今年早些时候，新德里的一个大型垃圾填埋场在极端热浪中起火，浓烟在该市上空弥漫数天。
At least two other landfill fires have been reported in India this year.
据报道，今年印度至少还发生了两起垃圾填埋场火灾。
Nisbet added that the newer satellite technology and on-the-ground research make it easier for researchers to identify “who is polluting the world.”
内斯比特还说，更新的卫星技术和地面研究使研究人员更容易确定“是谁在污染世界”。
At last year's United Nations climate meeting, 104 countries signed a promise to reduce methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030 compared with 2020 levels.
在去年的联合国气候大会上，104个国家签署了一项承诺，承诺到2030年让甲烷排放量比2020年减少30%。
I’m Dan Novak.
丹·诺瓦克为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
