Globally, coal mining accounts for an estimated 11 per cent of total anthropogenic methane emissions, with metallurgical coal representing a significant share. Over a 20-year period, these met coal emissions have a warming impact comparable to the annual emissions of the global aviation sector. This represents one of the largest overlooked mitigation opportunities. Most emissions can be addressed with existing technologies at less than 1 per cent of the cost of steel, but targeted action requires moving from estimated to measured data.

SMP combines science, data and industry engagement to make methane emissions in steel more visible and actionable.

SMP increases transparency through its Coal Methane Database, hosted on Eye on Methane // GLOBAL.

The database is the first public data set of mine-level methane emissions that reconciles bottom-up inventory approaches with top-down atmospheric measurements, drawing on scientific research, satellites and inventory data. The database covers nearly 250 underground and surface mines across diverse geographies and geologies, representing a significant share of global met coal emissions.

Results show wide variations between individual mines, underscoring the limitations of emission factor-based reporting, which obscures the actual scale and distribution of emissions. Over time, the data set will expand with additional satellite and airborne observations, company reporting and inventories, and emission tracking across trade routes from mine to mill.

This tool provides mining companies, steel producers and policymakers with transparency to inform engagement and drive methane reductions.

SMP’s partnership with the coal industry will enable coal producers to demonstrate leadership on measurement-based reporting and methane mitigation. In addition, measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) guidance will provide a science-based framework for actors across the global coal and steel value chains to credibly demonstrate measurement and mitigation progress.