Australia’s coal mining emissions paradox

Australia's coal production grew by 170% between 1990 and 2022, yet fugitive emissions increased by only 0.17%. This trend is driven by the closure of high-emitting underground mines and a transition toward open-cut mining, which relies on estimated rather than measured emissions. The report highlights a concerning shift toward site-specific emissions reporting (Method 2), which has significantly lowered reported emissions in New South Wales compared to state-based averages. While underground mine closures have provided historic emissions wins, new project expansions and extensions threaten to reverse these gains.

• Between 1990 and 2022, Australia's coal production increased by 170%, rising from 201 million tonnes to 542 million tonnes, while fugitive emissions grew by only 0.17%.
• The coal industry has shifted heavily toward open-cut mining, which accounted for more than 85% of all national coal production by 2022. This shift has increased the reliance on estimated emissions rather than direct monitoring, as open-cut mines use gas models from 1991.
• A methodological shift from state-based (Method 1) to site-specific (Method 2) emissions reporting has led to a significant decrease in reported emissions. In New South Wales, the reported fugitive emissions intensity of open-cut mines is six times lower than the state-based emissions factor.
• The primary driver of actual emissions reductions has been the closure of 'super-emitting' underground mines, often due to safety incidents or age. Underground mines represent only 15% of production but approximately two-thirds of total fugitive emissions.
• Future emissions reductions are threatened by 27 proposed coal mining projects and extensions to existing mines, such as the Narrabri underground coal mine's extension to 2044 and the Lake Vermont Meadowbrook project expansion.

APA

Wright, C. (2025). Australia’s coal mining emissions paradox. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/03/Rising-Coal-Production-Falling-Emissions_24032025.pdf

Chicago

Wright, Chris. Australia’s coal mining emissions paradox. Ember, 2025. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/03/Rising-Coal-Production-Falling-Emissions_24032025.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Wright |first1=Chris |title=Australia’s coal mining emissions paradox |publisher=Ember |date=27 March 2025 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/03/Rising-Coal-Production-Falling-Emissions_24032025.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wright2025australias, author = {Wright, Chris}, title = {{Australia’s coal mining emissions paradox}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2025}, month = mar, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/03/Rising-Coal-Production-Falling-Emissions_24032025.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }