IN FOCUS: Coal mine methane emissions reform – Implications for Australia’s carbon market

Multiple independent studies have estimated Australia’s coal mine methane emissions to be significantly higher than reported, with the IEA estimating that Australia could be under-reporting coal mine methane emissions by around 90%, while other peer-reviewed studies estimate coal mine methane emissions could be 59-122% higher than reported, with open-cut mines the main source of “missing” emissions.

In response to concern over the under-reporting of coal mine methane emissions, the federal government has implemented improvements to phase out the use of “Method 1” (state-based industry average) reporting for the estimation of coal mine methane emissions from open-cut coal mining. From 1