Germany claims to be a green climate leader but a new study from the think tank Ember suggests that the country is massively underestimating its emissions from coal mining.
Independent climate analyst Ember has this week released a shocking new report claiming there is a large discrepancy between the amount of coal that Germany is known to mine and its reported emissions from coal mining, relative to the rest of Europe.
This report presents evidence of the underreporting of Germany’s coal mine methane (CMM) emissions and highlights why the methane emission factor and methodology must be urgently updated. Ember compiled independent emission estimates and methane measurements from Polish lignite, all of which indicate that the emission factor used by Germany underestimates CMM emissions. “Finally, we present recommendations to improve Germany’s monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) framework,” says the report.
The studies indicate that Germany emits between 28 to 220 times as much as it officially reports from active coal mining operations. The largest estimates (by GEM) suggest Germany emits an additional 300,000 tonnes of methane emissions annually.
Using methane’s short-term climate impact over 20 years (GWP 20), this would mean Germany’s CMM emissions are between 3-25 million tonnes of CO2e, equivalent to some of the country’s dirtiest coal power plants. Using methane’s 100 year climate impact, CMM emissions would be equivalent to 1-9 million tonnes of CO2e.
Key discrepancies:
- Although Germany produced 44% of the EU’s total lignite in 2022, it only reported active CMM emissions of 1.39 thousand tonnes, namely 1% of that reported by the EU.
- Coal mine methane emitted by Germany could be 28 to 220 times as much as is officially reported.
- Germany considers its lignite coal comparable to that of Poland. However, Germany’s evaluation of the methane content of its coal is 40 to 100 times less than the measurements of Polish lignite.
Ember assessed Germany’s coal mine methane emission data and is concerned that the significant scale of emissions has not been adequately estimated or assessed.
In 2022, Germany mined 131 million tonnes of lignite coal from surface mines, representing 44% of the 2022 EUs total lignite coal production. However, Germany only reported active CMM emissions of 1.39 thousand tonnes, namely 1% of the total EU’s reported active surface CMM emissions in 2021.
Furthermore, methane from Germany’s surface coal mines are clearly visible from satellite data, indicating emissions are significant and need to be addressed. The highest methane concentrations are found over the Hambach and Welzow-Süd mines, including the Lusatian Lake District.
Ember analysed methane measurements from Polish lignite and found that emissions could be 184 times higher than Germany currently reports. This would more than double Germany’s 2021 methane emissions from the entire energy sector, representing a 14% increase in national methane emissions. Germany cannot claim to be a climate leader whilst simultaneously underreporting their emissions.
Germany’s current methods, which use a single emissions factor, are considered inadequate by EU standards. The upcoming Methane Regulation will require “deposit-specific coal mine methane emission factor” established “on a quarterly basis” and taking into account “methane emissions from surrounding strata“.
Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas contributor to climate change and coal is the largest source of methane in the energy sector in the EU. Achieving the 1.5C pathway requires global CMM emissions to be reduced by 75% by 2030. This can only be done with an accurate understanding of emissions, now even more important in the context of the new EU Methane Regulation.
For example, while Germany mined 131 million tonnes of lignite coal from surface mines in 2022 – representing 44% of the EU’s total lignite coal production in 2022 – it only reported active coal mine methane (CMM) emissions of 1,390 tonnes, which accounts for just 1% of the EU’s total reported active surface CMM emissions in 2021.
Ember notes that methane is the second most important greenhouse gas contributor to climate change, while coal is the largest source of methane in the energy sector in the EU.
Given that Germany has committed to the Global Methane Pledge, under which signatories commit to collectively reduce methane emissions by at least 30% below 2020 levels by 2030, it is urgent that Germany implements a “wide-ranging measurement campaign before we can even begin to understand the extent of current underreporting, as well as a comprehensive methane mitigation strategy covering all sectors”, argues Julian Schwartzkopff, team lead of Gas Phase-Out at the non-profit Deutsche Umwelthilfe.
See the full report by Ember HERE
“Ember envisions a future energy system that is reshaped around clean electrification, as abundant solar and wind power drive down consumption of fossil fuels across every sector, including transport and heating. Ember envisions a future where electricity powers most of the global economy. It will heat our homes, fuel our cars, and power our industry. Electricity will replace our need for fossil fuels. Ember sees that the scale-up of wind and solar provides the best opportunity to rapidly reduce emissions this decade, both by directly replacing fossil power and by reducing fossil consumption through electrification of heating, transport and industry.”
