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Indonesia
AsiaSoutheast Asia

Indonesia’s methane emissions from coal are 8 times worse than reported, jeopardising climate commitments, think tank says

  • The world’s third-largest coal miner, after China and India, undercounts methane emissions from production of the fuel, according to analysis
  • Indonesia neglected to include methane releases from underground reserves. The discrepancies could jeopardise Indonesia’s efforts to meet reduction commitments

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High pollution from coal power plant. Indonesia, the world’s third-largest coal miner, after China and India, undercounts methane emissions. Photo: Shutterstock
BloombergandAgence France-Presse
Methane emissions from Indonesia’s expanding coal mining sector are significantly under-reported, jeopardising the nation’s international climate commitments, according to new analysis from energy think tank Ember.

The London-based climate and energy think tank, estimated that based on its studies, Indonesia’s coal mine methane (CMM) pollution is up to eight times higher than official figures.

Indonesia is the world’s third-largest coal miner, after China and India.

The group said Indonesia was using outdated methods to estimate its emissions, and was also failing to report CCM from underground coal-mining activities, which can be far higher than from surface mining.

And though the country’s last official report to the United Nations used an approved approach that applies an emissions factor to each ton of coal extracted or produced, Ember said that given the nature of the country’s open-cut mines, a higher factor would have been more appropriate.

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry said the agency needs to review the findings, a spokesperson said on Monday, a holiday in Indonesia.

02:23

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The discrepancies could jeopardise Indonesia’s efforts to slash releases of the gas and meet emissions reductions commitments under the Global Methane Pledge. More than 150 nations have signed the agreement, vowing to cut methane 30 per cent by the end of this decade from 2020 levels.

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