The IEA released a report in 2023 that puports to track methane in the coal sector as a major opportunity for climate action that can also strengthen energy security. Experience shows that there are several steps countries can take today – using existing technologies and tools – that can lead to significant reductions in methane emissions from coal mining.
This report highlights the lessons learned in different coal-producing jurisdictions to support the development of smart and effective methane regulation. It then provides detailed guidance on the process of designing, drafting and implementing new regulations. Finally, it discusses the different regulatory approaches currently in use for methane, with the aim of providing a comprehensive toolkit for policy makers.
This report was prepared by the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) of the International Energy Agency (IEA). The principal authors were:
- Tomás de Oliveira Bredariol (lead) and
- K.C. Michaels.
- Joyce Raboca and
- Natalie St. Clair were contributing authors.
- Luca Lo Re and
- Zhiyu Yang provided valuable comments and feedback.
- Tim Gould,
- Pascal Laffont and
- Christophe McGlade provided strategic guidance and input to this work.
Thanks go to the IEA Communications and Digital Office (CDO), particularly to:
- Curtis Brainard,
- Astrid Dumond,
- Isabelle Nonain-Semelin and
- Therese Walsh.
Nicola Clark edited the manuscript.
Valuable comments and feedback were received from external experts, including:
- Eamonn Burke (Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and
Water - Australia), - David Creedy (UNECE Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane - Sindicatum Sustainable Resources),
- Robert Field (International Methane Emissions Observatory),
- Cevat Özgen Karacan (UNECE Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane - US Geological Survey),
- Malgorzata Kasprzak (International Methane Emissions Observatory),
- Thomas Kerr (World Bank Group),
- Maria Olczak (Environmental Defense Fund),
- Brooke Perkins (Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water - Australia),
- Dinko Raytchev (European Commission),
- Volha Roschchanka (US Environmental Protection Agency),
- Felicia Ruiz (Clean Air Task Force),
- Anatoli Smirnov (Ember), and
- Hanling Yang (Environmental Defense Fund).
Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-
