GLOBAL METHANE EMISSIONS FROM THE WORLD COAL INDUSTRY

The Coal Industry Advisory Board (CIAB) of the International Energy Ag ency (IEA) estimated the total methane emissions from worldwide mining , treatment and storage of coal to be approximately 25 million tonnes/ year for 1990. Slightly more than one million tonnes of methane are ut ilized by the industry. Thus, the net annual discharge to the atmosphe re is 24 million tonnes. Methane emissions data were available for the U.S., the U.K., former U.S.S.R., Australia, China, Germany, Poland an d Czechoslovakia. Methane emissions for India and S. Africa were estim ated from a linear correlation between the average depth of mining and specific methane emissions derived from the available data for the ei ght countries. These ten largest coal producing countries represented nearly 90% of world coal production in 1990. Total methane emissions f or the world coal industry were calculated by prorating the methane em issions from these ten countries in proportion to coal production. The reported values represent the best international data available at pr esent. The net total emissions of 24 million tonnes/year are substanti ally less than some previously reported indirect estimations and const itute only 4 to 6% of the global methane emissions.