Shocking NSW methane emissions report

The Greens are calling for a halt to all new coal mine approvals after a new report has revealed that methane emissions from open cut coal mines could be producing twice as much methane than is accounted for in the National Carbon Inventory.

The Greens spokesperson for mining, coal and gas, Cate Faehrmann MLC, said, ‘The 19 coal mines that are moving through the NSW planning system right now will blow our net zero targets out of the water.

‘With the methane released from open cut coal mines being up to 100 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, this report should be a massive wake up call for the government and another nail in the coffin for the coal industry.

‘This report suggests there has been a massive under-estimation of how much carbon is being emitted by coal mining and nothing less than a pause on new approvals is warranted until there is full transparency on all greenhouse gases being emitted by mining,’ said Ms Faehrmann.

‘The case for no new coal is already won given we are in a climate emergency. Now, with methane emissions being taken into account, it’s clear we need to transition away from coal more urgently than ever.’

Government legally obliged to reduce emissions

Greens spokesperson for climate change, Sue Higginson MLC said, ‘Work by the Greens means that the NSW Government must reduce emissions by 70 per cent by 2035 and is legally obliged to reach a net-zero emissions threshold by 2050.

‘These under reported methane emissions from coal mines will make these already inadequate targets impossible.

‘Climate change and the impacts of climate driven extreme weather events are already pushing communities and the environment of NSW to the absolute brink,’ she said. ‘If we aren’t even measuring emissions from coal mines properly, we can’t have any confidence that this won’t become catastrophically worse.’