Prof. Jason Cohen and Prof. Qin Kai from School of Environmental and Spatial Informatics were awarded a grant by UN Environment Programme for its Methane Science Studies. This project, titled “Quantifying Coking Coal Mine Methane Emissions Using Multiple Surface and Satellite Observations”, aims to objectively and scientifically assess methane emissions in the coal industry with satellite remote sensing and ground observation technologies.

It has been reported that the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), through its International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO), is actively soliciting applications for research projects focused on methane emissions monitoring, assessment and early warning systems from institutions worldwide. By February 2024, UNEP has funded only 25 projects worldwide, with notable recipients including prestigious research institutions such as Harvard University and Stanford University in the United States and the University of Bremen in Germany. The approved program of CUMT is the first and currently the only one of its kind for UNEP in China. In recent years, CUMT’s remote sensing on carbon emissions and air quality team, led by Prof. Qin Kai and Prof. Jason Cohen, has actively implemented the National Methane Emission Control Action Plan, with a particular focus on quantifying coal mine methane emissions. The team has been entrusted by the National Energy Group to carry out the project “Coal Mine Methane Retrieval Quantification Service” and has published papers in prestigious international journals such as Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. They have introduced a novel approach to methane emission inversion, integrating collaborative satellite remote sensing with ground-based observations, and have begun to build a methane emission inventory at the scale of individual coal mines.