London, 28 November – Global methane emissions from coal mines may be twice as high as reported by governments, according to analysis by global energy think tank Ember.
The report ‘In The Dark’ compares estimates submitted by governments to the UNFCCC with estimates from three independent studies that used various techniques to measure emissions.
The government estimates place global emissions of coal mine methane at 30.5 million tonnes, but estimates from independent studies range between 38-67 million tonnes per year.
Methane is a fast-acting greenhouse gas and traps 82.5 times more heat than carbon dioxide over 20 years, accelerating short-term global heating. Coal mines release as much methane as the oil or gas sectors, but are often overlooked despite there being cost-effective solutions to tackle emissions. Due to the potency of methane in the atmosphere, the climate impact of methane emitted by coal mines is significant.
