Steel manufacturers should work with coal producers to curb methane leaks from mines to reduce the overall warming impact from making the alloy, according to a report from energy think tank Ember.
Methane, a potent greenhouse gas with more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide during its first 20 years in the atmosphere, can escape from the Earth when sedimentary rocks are crushed or coal seams are exposed. Halting intentional and accidental releases of the gas could do more to slow climate change than almost any other single measure.
Although most steelmakers rely on a specific type of coal to heat furnaces and for the steelmaking process, they don’t typically consider the impact of methane leaks associated with mining, which increases the industry’s global warming impact 27%, according to Ember.
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