Australia’s coal mines and gas fields may be emitting twice as much methane as declared, report warns

Superpower Institute says analysis of Queensland, NSW and Victoria sites shows need for independent reporting of greenhouse gas emissions

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Australia’s coal mines and gas fields may be emitting twice as much methane as they currently declare, underscoring the need to introduce independent reporting of the potent greenhouse gas, an energy think tank has warned.

The Superpower Institute’s Open Methane tool used satellites and ground-based verification to identify 20 of “sites of concern” – all involving coal and gas operations – that are releasing “around double” the amount of methane than reported.