PLEA Network

9 May 2025, Renew Economy: What happens when Australia’s methane bubble pops? A major new update from the International Energy Agency (IEA) reveals that Australia was the world’s sixth largest emitter of methane from coal mines, in 2024. The 1.7 million tonnes of coal mine methane emitted in 2024 has a climate impact greater than Australia’s entire transport sector, according to analysis by energy analytics group Ember. Not only are these figures high in absolute terms, they are significantly higher than the numbers Australia reports both domestically and internationally. The IEA’s estimate of total energy sector methane emissions is 2146 kilotonnes. The National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) value is a whopping 57% lower, and Australia’s reported methane emissions to the UNFCCC are 36% lower. It is quite a remarkable piece of work, illustrating the sheer scale of the methane underreporting problem: The IEA’s data also reveals that Australia’s coal mining sector bears the brunt of the responsibility for the dumping of methane gases into the atmosphere, and the subsequent damage done through heating effects, with methane released by coking coal and steam coal promising 77% of the total energy-related methane release (onshore and offshore oil and gas comprise 14.1%). A recent report from Ember analysing Australia’s coal mine methane data produced their own estimates of government underreporting, estimating 40% greater methane release than government reports. The IEA’s report has a very clear message for the fossil fuel industry: there is simply no excuse for failing to stem the dumping of methane gas into the open atmosphere, given that no real technological breakthroughs are required. Yet the global coal, oil and gas industries have persisted in a deep, ongoing failure to curb this greenhouse gas. Read more here