Direct, continuous measurement is needed to increase confidence in reported emissions

The report highlights significant gaps and uncertainties in global coal mine methane (CMM) emissions reporting, noting that 89% of emissions were left unreported in 2023. It criticizes the reliance on generic emission factors (Tiers 1 and 2) used for 87% of global coal production and advocates for the transition to direct, facility-level measurements (Tier 3) to increase data confidence and support mitigation policies.

• Global reporting of coal mine methane (CMM) emissions is severely limited; in 2023, only 23 of the 73 coal-mining countries submitted reports to the UNFCCC, resulting in approximately 89% of emissions remaining unreported.
• Major coal producers frequently fail to report CMM data; in 2023, China, India, Indonesia, the United States, South Africa, and Kazakhstan did not report any greenhouse gas emissions.
• The vast majority of global coal production relies on imprecise estimation methods; 87% of production is estimated using generic global or national emission factors (IPCC Tier 1 or 2), while only 13% utilizes measurement-based Tier 3 reporting.
• Ember's confidence assessment shows that reported CMM emissions for 78% of countries are rated as medium-low or low confidence, with only 4% of countries receiving a high confidence rating.
• The Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) now requires all countries to submit a Biennial Transparency Report (BTR) every two years, with the next deadline in 2026, though the system remains non-punitive.

APA

Ember (2026). Direct, continuous measurement is needed to increase confidence in reported emissions. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/direct-continuous-measurement-is-needed-to-increase-confidence-in-reported-emissions/

Chicago

Ember. Direct, continuous measurement is needed to increase confidence in reported emissions. 2026. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/direct-continuous-measurement-is-needed-to-increase-confidence-in-reported-emissions/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Direct, continuous measurement is needed to increase confidence in reported emissions |date=29 April 2026 |url=https://ember-energy.org/chapter/direct-continuous-measurement-is-needed-to-increase-confidence-in-reported-emissions/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2026direct, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Direct, continuous measurement is needed to increase confidence in reported emissions}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://ember-energy.org/chapter/direct-continuous-measurement-is-needed-to-increase-confidence-in-reported-emissions/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }