Global Energy Monitor’s Post

How do abandoned coal mines impact the climate? In the EU alone, they emit up to 298 million cubic meters of methane annually, according to a new report from Climate TRACE member Global Energy Monitor. Read more in their insight brief: The Hidden Threat: Abandoned coal mine emissions in the EU

Did you know methane emissions can continue even after a coal mine closes, especially without proper mitigation? This often-overlooked source poses a significant challenge in many coal producing countries. Limited data has obscured the true scale of the problem, potentially underestimating the actual emissions. In a new briefing I co-authored with my colleague Sarah Lerman-Sinkoff, we delve into the issue of abandoned mine methane (AMM) emissions in the EU. Using GEM's pioneering granular coal mine dataset, the research reveals that abandoned underground coal mines in the EU, closed since 2015, could release an estimated 298 million cubic meters of methane per year if without mitigation measures. This is equivalent to the amount potentially leaked from the Nordstream pipeline explosion in 2022! You can find the briefing here: https://lnkd.in/gUZ78PVM

Today's marginalization of coal is only the first step towards the same attack on natural gas and oil. The proposed US transition away from fossil fuels has national security implications that are not being accounted for. Again, not the popular position. But the popular position isn't inherently the national security position. “We need to get this U.S. energy debate back into the national security lane, which is where it always has been and where it belongs,” Gattie said. “What we're going to end up doing is putting our industrial base here in the U.S. in a much weaker energy disposition relative to every other country in the world.”  https://lnkd.in/evz6rmjg

Dirty. No other word for the oil and gas cherry-picking testimony on the Hill. How is one person’s testimony who represents 600 oil and gas companies about to tank the coal industry? Oil = fossil fuel Natural Gas = fossil fuel Coal = fossil fuel They are all fossil fuels. How is eliminating one but increasing the two others the answer? Answer = dirty (in every sense of the word) money U.S. states, where coal is produced, are about to have a tsunami hit them and they don’t even see it coming: Appalachian (Alabama, Eastern Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia) Interior (Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Western Kentucky), Western (Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming). Source: https://lnkd.in/gyYfxDu2 “Specifically, API is citing recent emissions reductions in the United States as justification for more production of U.S. oil and gas, and especially more exports of liquified natural gas (LNG). This argument is a perfect example of spinning two drops of truth into a downpour of misinformation. You can expect this spin to be amplified loudly by a well-funded and well-coordinated campaign to win expanded drilling on federal lands and approval of additional LNG terminals — actions that would undermine progress in tackling the climate crisis.” Source: https://lnkd.in/gxvgnRvr API’s testimony is found in the above source and here: Testimony of American Petroleum Institute (API) Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy Officer, Amanda Eversole House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, & Critical Materials “America Leads the Way: Our History as the Global Leader Reducing Emissions” November 29, 2023 https://lnkd.in/gXAarYpB Why is coal needed: https://lnkd.in/gN6X4JzX. So what’s the dirty truth? A whole lot of people are about to be out of work because of cherry-picking words and not science. This will have serious ripple effects.

"Australia’s open cut coal mines could be emitting more than twice as much methane as official disclosures suggest, casting doubt on national carbon emissions data and efforts to fight climate change, says Superpower Institute chairman and former competition regulator Rod Sims." “I think we’ve got a problem,” [Mr Sims] said. “I think it’s fair to say that most open cut coal mines have got more emissions than are being reported. I don’t think there’s any other conclusion you can reach out of that.” And yet JSW Steel and JFE Steel Corporation are happy to become minority owners in one of the largest coal mines in the Bowen Basin, risking the company's own goals of decarbonising. #greenwashing . . . https://lnkd.in/gijjvbGv

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy took advantage of the national platform offered by S&P Global's CERAWeek 2024 energy conference to urge the Biden administration to streamline the permitting process for mines that will deliver a domestic supply of minerals and metals vital to America's economy, security, and clean energy goals. Let's hope this call to action helps expedite the necessary steps towards securing these essential resources for our nation's future. #CriticalMinerals #CleanEnergy #AmericanSecurity

📣 Read the latest Cancel Coal Newsflash! 💡The #CancelCoal Newsflash is a regular newsletter that is published to share campaign updates and a news bulletin. The newsletter also features a section for art, called 'Art of the week', where we give a space and a platform for different artists to share their work for positive change. News highlights from Issue 13 include: 1️⃣ OPINION: Just energy transition is integral to election promises by Nick Simpson and Mathias Kronke 2️⃣ Village activists take Marikana mining company to court, claim interdict bid is a SLAPP suit by Tania Broughton 3️⃣ Mantashe wants to ‘punish’ Shell over South Africa exit by Business Tech 4️⃣ ANC walks political tightrope over coal plant shutdowns by Reuters 5️⃣ Wild Coast communities defend High Court victory against Shell in Supreme Court of Appeal by Dominic Naidoo 6️⃣ Global coal phase-out to cost between $200 billion, $2 trillion study by Staff Writer 👇 Read the latest issue below and browse previous issues here: https://lnkd.in/dk9fBKnJ

Governments worldwide are prioritising energy security over reaching emissions targets. The political pendulum is well and truly swinging the other way, with the federal coalition changing its stance on reaching net zero targets by 2030 and instead raising the importance of installed base load power, which could include #coal and #gas, during the transition process. #auspol #mining

⛏ Final #research report papers indicates the potential for coalfields in BC's East Kootenays to host elevated concetrations of #rareearth elements. ➡️ https://ow.ly/SBEH50Qteh5 #criticalminerals #coal #testing #netzero

Pipelines that export natural gas produced in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin continued to operate at almost full capacity at major export points in 2023. High utilization rates were again driven by record high gas production levels: https://ow.ly/33Br50SJvMw.