Rigging the Numbers: Questions and Answers on Biogenic Carbon

Author
Neil Tangri

Abstract
Waste companies are under-reporting their actual CO₂ emissions by 50% or more. They justify this by saying that biogenic emissions are a part of the Earth’s natural carbon cycle and do not add to climate change—which is clearly false. The result is that waste incinerators and landfill gas systems often look better than they really are, which fools policymakers into thinking that they are actually “green” energy sources when the opposite is true. The solution is to require all facilities to report all emissions on an equal footing.

Published: March 2026