{"id":2514,"date":"2026-03-20T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/techy44.okdiario.com\/en\/?p=2514"},"modified":"2026-03-21T06:47:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T11:47:30","slug":"thousands-of-abandoned-coal-mines-in-australia-are-once-again-raising-concerns-about-potential-methane-leaks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/thousands-of-abandoned-coal-mines-in-australia-are-once-again-raising-concerns-about-potential-methane-leaks\/2514\/","title":{"rendered":"Thousands of abandoned coal mines in Australia are once again raising concerns about potential methane leaks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How much climate damage can one old hole in a cattle field really do? Quite a lot, it turns out. Researchers at the University of Queensland<\/a> found that a single abandoned coal exploration borehole in Queensland was releasing about 235 metric tons<\/a> of methane a year, with a climate impact similar to 10,000 cars each driving 12,000 kilometers (about 7,500 miles). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the surface, it looked like the kind of bare patch most people would drive past without a second look. Underneath, it was a serious emissions source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Also Read: Texas is full of oil wells that barely produce but never seem to die, and landowners say the real cost is leaking onto their property<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The team measured the site with a trailer-mounted Quantum Gas LiDAR<\/a> and tracked it over seven days and six nights, not just with a quick handheld check. That longer window proved important. Methane output changed with weather conditions, and the paper classifies the borehole as a “super-emitter.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In practical terms, that means some leaks may be easy to underestimate if they are checked only once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bigger issue is scale<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One leaking borehole is bad enough, but the real story is what comes next. UQ researchers say this was the first long-term measurement of methane from an abandoned coal exploration borehole<\/a>, and they estimate there are around 130,000 similar legacy boreholes in Queensland where the quality of sealing is unknown. Most likely, they will not all be major emitters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, even a small share leaking at high rates could turn an overlooked problem into a very large one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Also Read: The invention filled with steel spheres that could forever change the fight against earthquakes<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

That is where the environmental story turns into a business and policy problem<\/a>. These old boreholes are no longer just relics from decades of exploration. They could also become future liabilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Researchers discovered that a single abandoned coal exploration borehole in Queensland emits as much methane as 10,000 cars do in a year.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Methane cuts are among<\/a> the fastest ways to slow future warming, and UQ researchers say sealing the worst sites could be a straightforward, cost-effective fix<\/a>. What used to look like forgotten paperwork may start to look a lot like a cleanup bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A climate fix hiding in plain sight<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There is also a practical upside. Associate Professor Phil Hayes<\/a> said the findings reveal “a problem, but also an opportunity,” because sealing the worst offending boreholes could quickly cut greenhouse gas emissions<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Also Read: U.S. debt is entering an increasingly precarious phase, and the warning is no longer going unnoticed<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

That is the uncomfortable message here\u2013sometimes the next climate win is not a flashy new invention, it is fixing what industry left behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The authors also say the issue may reach beyond Queensland, with potential implications for coal basins globally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The press release was published on The University of Queensland<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How much climate damage can one old hole in a cattle field really do? Quite a lot, it turns out. … <\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2515,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","resize-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2514"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2514\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2517,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2514\/revisions\/2517"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}