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Open Methane reveals 20 methane hotspots are all coal and gas mining

Coal and gas mining areas have been revealed as Australia’s 20 biggest methane hotspots. The Superpower Institute's Open Methane launch report indicates that coal and gas mining, rather than agriculture, are Australia's biggest methane polluters. 

World-leading scientists from the Superpower Institute have built a groundbreaking satellite monitoring tool called Open Methane to detect methane super pollution. Open Methane is the first of its kind to provide open source and frequently updated methane observations to the public. 

Open Methane shows that coal and gas mines could be polluting at least double what they report to the government. These facilities aren’t required to directly measure or accurately report their pollution, so Open Methane offers a unique and critical resource to scrutinise big polluters. Other satellite data is expensive and needs special expertise to estimate regional, state or national methane pollution - Open Methane will provide that freely to the public. 

Renowned Economist and Chair of the Superpower Institute, Professor Rod Sims, says that cutting methane is one of our best strategies to tackle climate change.

“This is not just an academic exercise. Accurate data is the foundation of effective climate policy. If we can’t measure it, we can’t manage it. Methane reductions offer the most immediate and impactful way to slow global warming, given its potency and relatively short atmospheric lifetime. Addressing fugitive emissions and inaccurate data is the most effective way we can easily bring down methane emissions - it's simply a no-brainer.

The Superpower Institute's Chief Scientist, Professor Peter Rayner says the Australian Government has taken some important steps, but more work is needed. 

“These findings challenge long-held assumptions about the primary sources of Australia’s methane emissions. While further validation is required, the data suggest that the coal and gas sectors – not agriculture – are the dominant contributors of anthropogenic emissions. This is a crucial finding and underscores the pressing need for Australia to overhaul its greenhouse gas inventory and implement more precise methods for measuring emissions.”

The 20 methane hotspots detected in Open Methane's initial report span the east coast's coal and gas regions. 

‘Sites of concern’: Australia’s top methane-emitting hotspots identified by Open Methane (January–June, 2023) pictured here and listed below:

 

 

LOCATION

 

Winchester, QLD (Bowen Basin)

 

Blackwater, QLD (Bowen Basin)

 

Boggabri, NSW (Gunnedah Basin)

 

Muswellbrook, NSW (Hunter Valley)

 

Morwell, VIC (La Trobe Valley)

 

Bundoora, QLD (Bowen Basin)

 

Crinum, QLD (Bowen Basin)

 

Coppabella, QLD (Bowen Basin)

 

Condamine, QLD (Surat Basin)

 

Narrabri, NSW (Gunnedah Basin)

 

Albinia, QLD (Bowen Basin)

 

Clermont, QLD (Bowen Basin)

 

Newlands, QLD (Bowen Basin)

 

Strathfield, QLD (Bowen Basin)

 

Springvale, NSW (Sydney Basin)

 

Hail Creek, QLD (Bowen Basin)

 

Appin, NSW (Sydney Basin)

 

Moranbah, QLD (Bowen Basin)

 

Belyando, QLD (Galilee Basin)

 

Helensburgh, NSW (Sydney Basin)

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