Coal firms in Indonesia, a major emitter of CO2, are ignoring the impact of methane emissions from their operations, according to a report published Monday. Methane is responsible for one-third of warming caused by greenhouse gases and is a key target for countries aiming to reduce emissions quickly. The London-based energy think tank Ember analyzed 10 major coal-mining companies in Indonesia and found that only four included methane emissions in their reports. This oversight undermines the firms’ overall sustainability reporting and ignores a significant opportunity for emissions reduction. The report estimates that these methane emissions could exceed 8 million tones of CO2 equivalent, which is more than a third of the total potential emissions. Methane has a warming effect 28 times greater than carbon dioxide over a 100-year timescale and around 80 times greater over a 20-year timescale. Analysts urge Indonesian coal firms to take methane emissions seriously to meet sustainability standards.
Source: https://www.voanews.com/a/indonesia-s-big-coal-firms-overlooking-methane-emissions-report/7716668.html