SYDNEY – Major polluters in Australia could be spewing more than double the methane estimated in its national inventory data, according to a report from the Melbourne-based nonprofit The Superpower Institute, which suggests the government should invest in new monitoring and verification technology.
The study, which drew on atmospheric modelling and satellite observations, is the first analysis to use the institute’s new Open Methane tool.
The monitoring system uses remote sensing data to better understand Australia’s releases of the potent greenhouse gas from fossil fuels. The project plans to offer an interactive map with daily alerts for unexpected and significant methane spikes later in 2024.
“We’re arguing for a verification system, which would require the government to invest in 12 ground stations and then use satellite technology” to cross reference whether what’s being reported on the ground is accurate, said chairman of the institute Rod Sims.
Methane is responsible for around 30 per cent of the rise in global temperatures since the industrial revolution, according to the International Energy Agency.
The gas is released mainly from the fossil fuel industry, wetlands and agriculture, such as rice farming, and it has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over the first 20 years after it reaches the atmosphere.
Australia is among the world’s top exporters of coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Coal mining and LNG production are large sources of methane.
A spokeswoman for Australia’s minister for climate change Chris Bowen said the country’s emissions reporting scheme and inventory is “world class” and “one of the most comprehensive in the world”.
She emphasised Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government is committed to ongoing consultation, and will work with experts and stakeholders to implement the most effective updates to ensure the scheme remains a reliable evidence base for effective climate action.
Empirical data from satellites and aerial surveys suggest that methane emissions from fossil fuels are widely underreported.
Recently, separate studies conducted by energy think-tank Ember suggest that both Indonesia and Germany under-report releases of the potent greenhouse gas from coal mining activities. BLOOMBERG
