Coal’s dirty secret

The report examines the impact of methane emissions from global coal mining, noting that methane is 82.5 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over 20 years. It highlights a systemic failure in reporting, where governments rely on 'bottom-up' estimates that can underestimate emissions by a factor of 30, while operators possess precise data for safety reasons but are rarely required to share it. Despite the Global Methane Pledge, only the EU and Canada have committed to specific actions for active coal mine methane reduction.

• Methane emissions from coal mining are a significant climate driver, with methane being 82.5 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over its first 20 years in the atmosphere and 29.8 times more powerful over 100 years.
• According to IEA global estimates, methane emissions from the coal sector are equivalent in scale to those from either the oil or gas sectors.
• There is a critical disconnect between operator knowledge and public reporting; coal operators track methane sources to prevent explosions, yet governments often rely on emission estimates that may underestimate actual emissions by a factor of 30.
• While 150 countries joined the Global Methane Pledge to reduce methane by 30%, only Canada and the European Union have committed to specific actions targeting active coal mine methane emissions.
• National emissions estimates reported to the UNFCCC primarily use 'bottom-up' methods based on emission factors rather than facility-level measurements, leading to uncertainties that can be a factor of 2 or more.

APA

Ember (2024). Coal’s dirty secret. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/introduction-2/

Chicago

Ember. Coal’s dirty secret. 2024. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/introduction-2/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Coal’s dirty secret |date=4 October 2024 |url=https://ember-energy.org/chapter/introduction-2/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2024coals, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Coal’s dirty secret}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://ember-energy.org/chapter/introduction-2/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }