Coal mine methane (CMM) is an increasingly significant near-term climate risk. Emissions have remained broadly steady, falling short of required reductions as coal production continues to increase. CMM emissions also remain largely unaccounted for in official data, hindering the uptake of proven technologies that could cut emissions this decade.
Almost five years into the Global Methane Pledge, which aims for a 30% cut in global methane emissions by 2030, emissions have not fallen, including those from coal mining.
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that is co-formed with coal and released before, during and even after mining.
According to Ember’s analysis of reported data, coal mining emitted around 34.7 million tonnes of methane in 2023, comparable to emissions from the oil or gas industries.
Only a handful of countries account for the majority of CMM emissions, yet due to infrequent reporting, Ember estimates that 89% of emissions were not reported to the UNFCCC in 2023. This, combined with evidence that six of the top-nine coal mine methane emitting countries are significantly underreporting emissions, signals a major lack of understanding of these emissions and consequently slow uptake of available abatement options.
Yet the economics of action are favourable. Deep cuts in CMM are affordable relative to coal industry profits. It is technically possible to avoid about 54–63% of current CMM emissions using existing technologies, with around 12% of abatement available at no net cost.