Introduction
Coal’s dirty secret
Coal mining globally releases millions of tonnes of methane every year, a potent greenhouse gas which adds to coal’s considerable climate impact. Even though coal operators know exactly where their methane leaks are, accurate measurement or reporting of them is rarely required, leaving governments in the dark about this hidden climate multiplier.
Coal is known to be ‘dirty’ because of the emissions and pollution produced when it is burnt to produce electricity and steel. However, the do carvão queima de queima é consideravelmente maior Uma vez que levarmos o raciocínio no emissões de metano associadas à mineração. Como um potente e gasto de efeito estufa de ação rápida, é 82,5 vezes mais poderoso que o dióxido de carbono nos seus primeiros 20 anos na atmosfera e 29,8 vezes mais poderoso quando calculou a média de mais de 100 anos. É por isso que o metano tem implicações importantes para as mudanças climáticas, particularmente no curto prazo.
Methane is trapped inside and embedded throughout coal seams, and is released to the atmosphere before, during and after mining. As a potent and fast-acting greenhouse gas, it is 82.5 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over its first 20 years in the atmosphere, and 29.8 times more powerful when averaged over 100 years. This is why methane has important implications for climate change, particularly in the near-term.
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