- Coal mine methane emissions contribute to global ozone pollution and an estimated 26,400 premature deaths over the following decades
- Existing technologies could prevent nearly half of the estimated deaths linked to coal mine methane emissions
London, 30 September 2026 – Coal mine methane emissions emitted each year at current levels lead to an estimated 26,400 preventable deaths over coming decades, according to a new analysis by global energy think tank Ember.
Methane reacts with other atmospheric gases in the presence of sunlight to form ground-level ozone, a respiratory toxin with no safe exposure threshold. Methane released when coal is mined can drift across continents, contributing to the global ozone burden and causing health impacts far from where the emissions originate.
The analysis finds that coal-producing countries do not contribute equally to deaths. More than half of these deaths trace back to a single country. China’s coal sector accounts for an estimated 20,100 deaths over the coming decades, more than the rest of the world combined – a measure of where the coal mine methane originates, not where people are harmed, since the resulting ozone disperses globally.
