The High Court looked at coal climate emissions overseas. But what about emissions at home?

Key points

• Methane from open-cut coal mines appears to be understated in official figures, according to aircraft and satellite studies cited in the piece. Under the federal Safeguard Mechanism, every coal mine has the same emissions target per tonne, even though underground mines report far higher emissions per tonne than open-cut mines.
• The piece argues the federal government should improve how open-cut methane is estimated and set separate limits for each mine type.
• Federal rules for both methane estimates and emissions targets are currently under review.