Recommendations

Ember recommends that governments mandate direct measurement and reporting for all coal mines, integrating satellite and independent data to identify super-emitters. The report advocates for banning venting from drainage systems, implementing binding reduction requirements for large emitters, and creating incentive mechanisms for ventilation air methane (VAM) mitigation. It further emphasizes the necessity of phasing down coal use and requiring comprehensive mine-closure plans to prevent ongoing emissions from decommissioned sites.

• Ember recommends that governments require direct measurement and reporting for all coal mines, including surface, underground, and decommissioned sites. For underground mines, it suggests MRV requirements to Level 5 as specified by the UN International Methane Emissions Observatory (UN IMEO). For surface mines, the report strongly advises against using emission factors without frequent, direct measurement verification, noting that mine-specific factors have shown "significant, systematic differences from airborne quantifications."
• National monitoring systems should integrate independent data sources, such as satellite observations and aerial surveys, to verify asset-level emissions. Ember suggests using platforms like IMEO MARS, Carbon Mapper, and Kayrros to track CMM super-emitters. Additionally, satellite operators are encouraged to prioritize high-resolution imaging over major coal-producing regions where detection rates are currently low, specifically India, South Africa, and Australia.
• The report identifies three exemplary policy models for reducing CMM: the EU Methane Regulation, which bans venting from drainage systems at active and closed underground mines; Australia's Safeguard Mechanism, which requires large emitters to reduce emissions toward 2030 or use carbon credits; and China's Certified Emission Reduction (CCER) scheme, which provides a pathway for crediting VAM mitigation for methane concentrations below 8%.
• Phasing down coal is identified as the most effective way to curb CMM emissions, noting that no new coal mines or extensions should have been approved after 2022. Canada is cited as an example, with regulations to phase out unabated coal-fired electricity by 2030, which is expected to reduce carbon pollution by approximately 13 Mt in 2030.
• Methane from coking coal mining increases the warming impact of steel production by at least 27%, yet it is largely missing from Scope 3 disclosures. Ember recommends that steelmakers require mine-level measurement and verified abatement in their procurement and transition planning.

APA

Ember (2026). Recommendations. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/recommendations-3/

Chicago

Ember. Recommendations. 2026. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/recommendations-3/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Recommendations |date=29 April 2026 |url=https://ember-energy.org/chapter/recommendations-3/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2026recommendations, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Recommendations}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://ember-energy.org/chapter/recommendations-3/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }