Anthropogenic sources of methane are the second largest contributor to global climate change,and coal mines are one of the major sources of methane emissions accounting for approximately 8-10%globally according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The coal mine methaneemission estimates, however, only include emissions from active, or working, mines. The IPCC has notapproved, adopted, nor endorsed a methodology for abandoned underground mine emissions, and nocountry's inventory of greenhouse gas emissions includes abandoned mines. Because abandoned minesare known to vent methane and thereby contribute greenhouse gas emissions, the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA) has developed a methodology to estimate emissions from abandoned U.S.Underground mines. The results show that abandoned mine emissions in the U.S., while not a large shareof overall coal mine methane emissions, may increase total emissions by 5% in some cases. Althoughthis methodology focuses on U.S. Mines, with adjustments it may be useful in estimating emissions fromabandoned mines in other countries.
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