Title: For Air Pollution, Trash Is a Burning Problem | Climate Central
Headings: For Air Pollution, Trash Is a Burning Problem
For Air Pollution, Trash Is a Burning Problem
‘First Best Guess’
What’s in the Emissions
Just a Starting Point

Content: Eri Saikawa, who studies air pollution and its health impacts at Emory University, and wasn’t involved in the new study, plans to use Wiedinmyer’s data in a model to see how it matches observations in China and Southeast Asia, and to see how trash burning might be contributing to the substantial amounts of air pollution there. “What they’re interested in is where they can reduce emissions,” Saikawa said of policymakers she has met with in China. Currently the focus has been on power plants and cars — trash burning hasn’t been part of the conversation. Reducing emissions from trash burning isn’t an easy prospect in many areas, though. In Nepal, where Yokelson plans to do further work this year and next, the government is well aware of the problem, but it can’t afford the kind of highly efficient incinerators that would get rid of much of the emissions from trash. “It’s expensive to get rid of garbage cleanly,” Yokelson said. And it’s not clear how much of an effect reducing this source of pollution would have in different areas. But, “you need to make a small step to make a big step,” Saikawa said. “ This kind of study is very important to figure out what needs” to be done. You May Also Like: