Australia’s coal mines are pouring methane gas into the atmosphere

Bryce Kelly and Charlotte Iverach write in The Conversation (9.3.16) about worrying levels of methane gas being emitted from Australia’s coal mines.

‘Methane emissions are one of the major concerns surrounding coal seam gas. But we should also be paying attention to other sources of methane, in particular those from coal mining. By dealing with these we could make significant progress on reducing Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.

‘Some coal mines have operational power plants and pilot studies to use the vented methane and reduce emissions. But recent mapping of the concentration of methane in the atmosphere at ground level by UNSW Australia in association with Royal Holloway University of London Greenhouse Gas Laboratory shows that we need to do much better.’

• Australia’s coal mines are pouring methane gas into the atmosphere »
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• Queensland’s proposed coal mines would double emissions, report suggests »