Coal’s dirty secret

This report introduction by Ember highlights the significant but underreported climate impact of methane emissions from global coal mining, noting that these emissions are often underestimated and poorly monitored by governments.

• Methane emissions from coal mining significantly increase the climate impact of coal beyond the emissions produced during combustion. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, estimated to be 82.5 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over its first 20 years in the atmosphere and 29.8 times more powerful over a 100-year average.
• According to IEA global estimates, methane emissions from the coal sector are equivalent in scale to those from either the oil or gas sectors. Reducing these emissions is identified as one of the most affordable ways to limit near-term global warming.
• Despite 150 countries joining the Global Methane Pledge to reduce overall methane by 30%, and over 50 countries (including China and the US) developing action plans, only Canada and the European Union have committed to specific actions for reducing active coal mine methane emissions.
• There is a significant gap in methane reporting and verification. Coal operators often know the sources of emissions to prevent explosions, but governments frequently rely on emission estimates that can underestimate actual emissions by a factor of 30. No government has implemented systematic third-party verification of operator data, even with satellite monitoring available.
• Two primary methods for estimating emissions exist: "Bottom up" methods, which use facility-level data or uncertain emission factors reported to the UNFCCC, and "Top-down" methods, which utilize measured observations like satellite data. Both methods suffer from large uncertainties due to a lack of comprehensive data from major producing countries.

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} }