Estimating CMM emissions

A report by Ember and Kayrros using TROPOMI satellite observations to estimate fugitive methane emissions from coal mining clusters in Australia, finding that satellite-derived emissions are significantly higher than official national and state-level reports.

• Satellite estimates for six coal mining clusters in 2020 identified 1.42 ± 0.19 million tonnes of methane released, which is significantly higher than the 1.01 million tonnes officially reported by the National Greenhouse Accounts for the same year.
• The study's scope covered 79% of Australia's total black coal production and over 90% of its metallurgical coal production in 2020, with clusters located in Queensland (four clusters) and New South Wales (two clusters in the Hunter Valley and Illawarra coal fields).
• Satellite estimates for both Queensland and New South Wales in 2020 were significantly higher than total reported coal mine fugitive emissions in those states. Specifically in New South Wales, a 2021 comparison found fugitive emissions more than twice as high as officially reported, despite only incorporating half of the state's coal production.
• Other research indicates substantial underreporting of methane: Open Methane suggests Australian coal mines and gas fields may emit twice as much methane as reported, and a numerical modelling re-evaluation suggests company-led approaches for open-cut mines may underestimate fugitive scope-1 emissions by a factor of 3.6 to 4.2.

APA

Ember (2025). Estimating CMM emissions. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/estimating-cmm-emissions/

Chicago

Ember. Estimating CMM emissions. 2025. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/estimating-cmm-emissions/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Estimating CMM emissions |date=16 April 2025 |url=https://ember-energy.org/chapter/estimating-cmm-emissions/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2025estimating, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Estimating CMM emissions}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2025}, month = apr, url = {https://ember-energy.org/chapter/estimating-cmm-emissions/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }