Submission to the Climate Change Authority’s Issues Paper – May 2023

Ember's submission to the Climate Change Authority recommends an overhaul of Australia's coal mine methane measurement and reporting laws to ensure accuracy and transparency, as a basis for achieving significant emissions reductions by 2035 and net zero by 2050.

• Ember calls for a comprehensive reform of Australia's coal mine methane measurement, reporting, and verification laws, arguing that the current reporting framework is "outdated and inaccurate". The organization advocates for the adoption of "best practice direct and site-specific measurement standards" and requests that the Clean Energy Regulator make all methane emissions, sources, and reporting methodologies for facilities publicly available.
• Ember recommends that the Climate Change Authority advise the government to implement several strategic measures: setting ambitious 2035 climate targets that include coal mine methane reductions, creating a "fossil methane indicator of progress" to align fugitive emissions with a 2050 net zero goal, and developing a phaseout plan for fossil fuel production alongside a coal sector decarbonisation pathway.
• Specific technical reforms proposed for national greenhouse gas emissions measurement laws include phasing out Methods 1 and 2 for open cut coal mines, requiring all coal mines to use a "multi-input model" for direct measurement, and applying direct measurement standards to abandoned and post-mining facilities. Additionally, Ember suggests reforming the measurement of coal mine waste gas flaring and increasing transparency regarding mitigation activities and the actual amount of methane destroyed or converted.

APA

Reynolds, A., Assan, S., & Wright, C. (2023). Submission to the Climate Change Authority’s Issues Paper – May 2023. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/submission-to-the-climate-change-authoritys-issues-paper-may-2023

Chicago

Reynolds, Annika, Sabina Assan, and Chris Wright. Submission to the Climate Change Authority’s Issues Paper – May 2023. Ember, 2023. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/submission-to-the-climate-change-authoritys-issues-paper-may-2023.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Reynolds |first1=Annika |last2=Assan |first2=Sabina |last3=Wright |first3=Chris |title=Submission to the Climate Change Authority’s Issues Paper – May 2023 |publisher=Ember |date=4 July 2023 |url=https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/submission-to-the-climate-change-authoritys-issues-paper-may-2023 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{reynolds2023submission, author = {Reynolds, Annika and Assan, Sabina and Wright, Chris}, title = {{Submission to the Climate Change Authority’s Issues Paper – May 2023}}, publisher = {Ember}, year = {2023}, month = jul, url = {https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/submission-to-the-climate-change-authoritys-issues-paper-may-2023}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }