Ending high-emission coal is key to China’s methane reduction

By focusing on shuttering mines with high gas content, China could reduce future coal methane emissions by 26%, writes Liu Qiang, former Fellow at the Harvard-China project and current Ph.D. candidate at Tsinghua University

Reducing methane emissions was one of the major issues at the COP29 climate conference in Baku.

During the first week of the event, China, the US and the host country Azerbaijan jointly held the Summit on Methane and Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases. China used the summit to announce a new plan: to reduce the concentration limit for coal mine gas emissions (principally methane) from 30% to 8%. The state will also improve market mechanisms, by allowing companies and enterprises to participate in methane emission controls, and actively promoting international exchanges and cooperation.

Last year, the US and China agreed to reduce methane emissions as part of an historic climate agreement. Donald Trump’s imminent return now leaves the direction of Sino-US relations uncertain. But no matter what the future holds, China has a chance to further reduce its coal methane emissions by adjusting its coal mine-closure strategy. This view is espoused by a study published in April by Tsinghua University’s Institute of Energy, Environment and Economy, which I co-authored.

By analysing China’s policy to eliminate outdated coal capacity, established in 2013, we discovered the potential emissions-reduction effect of mine closures. We found China could reduce methane emissions by 26% based on 2020 levels by 2050 if it prioritises the closure of coal mines with high gas contents.

Read the rest of the article on the Dialogue Earth site: https://bit.ly/methane-reduction