Turkmenistan Faces Unprecedented Calls to Clean Up Methane Leaks
The United Nations wants to work with the central Asian regime to curb planet-warming emissions from its aging fossil fuel network.
Methane emissions observed by satellite over Turkmenistan between 2019 and present.
Source: Kayrros SAS
Turkmenistan, the central Asian state that’s one of the world’s biggest sources of planet-warming methane leaks, is facing growing international pressure to clean up its pollution.
The sparsely populated nation, led by reclusive dictator Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, sits atop the world’s fourth-largest natural gas reserves. Aging infrastructure used to tap that fuel, run by an opaque state-run energy sector, spews more methane per unit of oil and gas output than any other major supplier. So far, other countries have said little publicly to engage the regime and push for change.
That’s starting to change as diplomatic efforts accelerate ahead of the annual United Nations climate conference, COP28, hosted by the United Arab Emirates later this year. Officials want to work with Turkmenistan to rein in its leaks, Saamir Elshihabi, the head of energy transition for COP28, said during a speech at Turkmenistan’s International Investment Forum in Dubai on Wednesday.