Australia’s 15 proposed coal mines would lift industry methane by one-fifth

On Thursday the federal government closed its first-ever consultation period on the climate change impacts of 15 proposed coal projects. In its submission, Ember revealed the potential scale of emissions of super-potent greenhouse gas methane.

The decision by the federal government to consult on the proposed mines comes after their commitment ahead of COP27 to join the Global Methane Pledge and reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030. A recent report by Ember found that Australia could deliver two-thirds of its pledge by tackling emissions from coal mines.

The investigation found that five of the proposed projects across Queensland – China Stone, Winchester South, Caval Ridge, The Range and Alpha Rail – are using outdated emission factors to estimate their fugitive emissions. As a result, emissions from these mines are likely to be even higher than estimated. It underlines a huge challenge Australia faces in understanding the scale of its coal mine methane emissions, which may be double official estimates.

The submission by Ember recommends that none of the thermal coal mines are approved and only two of the proposed metallurgical coal mines are considered.