China drives 76% of coal mine methane emissions

Ember says global emissions remain steady.

China accounted for 76% of global coal mine methane emissions in 2023, making it the dominant source of one of the fossil fuel sector’s largest near-term climate risks.

Ember estimated global coal mining emissions at 34.7 million tonnes of methane in 2023, broadly unchanged since the Global Methane Pledge was launched in 2021. Over the same period, global coal production rose 8% to more than 8,650 million tonnes.

China produced around half of the world’s coal and was estimated to have emitted about 28 million tonnes of coal mine methane in 2024.

Ember said China’s reported methane intensity has declined in recent years, partly due to production shifting away from high-methane regions, closures of gassy mines, and growth in surface mining.

Other Asian coal producers also face reporting gaps. India’s emissions were estimated at around 1.2 million tonnes in 2024, but independent estimates were higher, whilst Indonesia’s reported emissions of around 0.2 million tonnes may be significantly understated.

Ember said six of the world’s nine largest coal-producing countries, including China, India, Indonesia, and Kazakhstan, did not submit official coal mine methane data to the UNFCCC in 2023. Overall, 89% of global coal mine methane emissions were left unreported that year.

Existing technologies could cut global coal mine methane emissions by 54% to 63% this decade, according to estimates cited by Ember.

The report said drainage systems offer about 7.46 million tonnes of global abatement potential, with 62% available at negative net cost.