Methane, a failure in measurement:
The government has long been facing pressure from climate change groups, international partners, and scientists over failings in the measurement of Australia’s Methane emissions, a major greenhouse gas. The International Energy Agency (IEA), of which Australia is a member, found that in 2022 Australia’s coal mines produced 81% more methane than reported, and gas and oil produced 92% more emissions than reported. The IEA found that Australia faced an urgent need to improve monitoring and to develop a plan to address domestic methane emissions.
The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) in July 2023 supported the findings of the IEA and confirmed the urgent need to improve monitoring and develop a plan to address domestic methane emissions. In November, experts said that Australia’s current methane measurement methods are like a “stab in the dark” and that other countries can’t trust our emissions reporting. As a greenhouse gas methane has 120 times the warming effect in its first year than carbon dioxide highlighting the need for accurate measurement.
In December at COP 28 Minister Bowen pledged that Australia would cut methane emissions by 30% by 2030. It is a great leap forward, but questions remain over the existing measurement of methane emissions. Australia’s counterparts in the US, Canada and China have made significant methane action commitments at COP28 and will expect Australia to accurately measure its methane emissions.
Meanwhile at home in the shadows of the COP 28 methane announcement, the Climate Change Authority (CCA) in December released its 2023 Review of the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Legislation (December 2023). The review, as one of its four core themes, had a particular focus on methane emissions and the measurement of methane emissions - which it found wanting. The least that Minister Bowen must do to act on Australia’s pledge is to bring Australia’s methane measurement into the 21st century, by implementing the CCA's recommendations.
The review found that the accuracy of estimated fugitive methane emissions left a lot to be desired. The CCA review found that using evolving satellite technologies and modelling techniques confirmed that there was significant underreporting in fugitive methane emissions , particularly for coal, oil, and gas mining. In other words, Australia has been grossly underestimating and under-reporting its methane emissions for many years. The first step to cutting our super-polluting methane emissions is to accurately measure methane pollution. More and more satellite evidence is mounting to show that Australia has an under-reporting problem. Without accurate methane measurement, any integrity Australia might build on climate action is at risk. Minister Bowen now needs to put words into action by fixing Australia's methane measurement laws using the CCA’s recommendations.
Business media also reported on the review and, in general, supported the review’s recommendations, particularly the need to move to a 21st century measurement and transparency framework. The CCA pointed to serious uncertainties in how Australian coal and gas companies report their methane pollution. It noted that some open cut mines release over ten times the amount of methane they report under the Safeguard Mechanism and recommended that the Government urgently phase out the desktop approach of estimating open cut coal mine emissions. It also recommended that the Government review a method which companies may be gaming through selective sampling.
The CCA review made three main groups of recommendations on methane measurement:
· to use up-to-date best practice measurement methods;
· government to develop policy for independent verification of facility level emissions;
· the government develops an Australian capability in methane measurement and quantification.
The review also recommended greater transparency in how coal and gas companies report their pollution, so that the public has a clear understanding of the impact of their operations on the atmosphere.
The CCA has created a clear prompt for the Albanese Government to commit to emissions integrity and listen to the world’s best methane scientists. By acting swiftly to implement the CCA’s recommendations, they can refuse to bow to coal and gas industry pressure to allow coal and gas facilities to keep fudging their emissions.
Another key issue identified by the CCA review is the growing level of demands from government and the public for more and more emissions data. It identified a need for increased accessibility and transparency of data which were essential for improving community confidence in emissions data. In particular it recommended that facility-level data be made available to the public and bring Australia’s emissions reporting into line with international standards.
Another area examined was extending the emissions reporting scheme to agriculture and land use in a graduated way that developed accurate reporting methods. The review recommended that both be included in the emissions reporting scheme in the future.
Minister Bowen’s office has informed us that his department is developing the government response to all 25 recommendations, including those on fugitive methane emissions, by mid-2024. So, we should have an answer, hopefully a significant improvement, on methane emissions in the middle of the year. In the meantime, keep up the pressure on both the Minister and his Department to make the changes recommended by the CCA by writing to them or making a submission.
If you are thinking of visiting your local MP, you could review the CCA report and ask them:
1. What is Australia’s plan for reducing methane under Global Methane Pledge, and as agreed at COP28?
2. What has Australia done so far in correcting measurement methodology to provide more accurate reporting of fugitive methane emissions that corresponds to satellite measurements?
3. What is Australia proposing regarding regulations for limiting and capturing fugitive emissions by fossil fuel companies?