Satellite imagery identifies Turkmenistan as having the highest rate of methane emissions in the world

Between January 2021 and April 2024, Momentick, an emissions intelligence company, identified 108 methane leaks in Turkmenistan. The leaks were from 6 out of 8* assets on various dates. Momentick has periodically monitored Turkmenistan compared to the rest of the world and has found that the methane emissions in Turkmenistan are the highest per km worldwide.

Momentick detected the leaks by leveraging proprietary algorithms on satellite imagery. Momentick provides accurate and autonomous capabilities for identifying and quantifying methane and other GHG emissions on a planetary scale. Their comprehensive emissions intelligence platform enables scalable monitoring, reporting, and verification. By analysing satellite imagery, Momentick could monitor methane emissions over the past year.

This report, as illustrated in the image above, presents the results of emission monitoring of 1 out of the 6 assets in the Balkan region of Turkmenistan.

Methane, the dominant component in natural gas, is an invisible and odourless gas. This allows emissions and leaks to remain undetected for extended periods, leading to global warming. Methane is 84 times more potent in trapping heat than carbon dioxide, contributing to approximately 21% of total GHG emissions. The Global Methane Pledge aims for a 30% reduction in methane emissions by 2030, which alone could mitigate 0.2 degrees of warming by 2050. Acknowledging its role as the cheapest and quickest method to mitigate global warming, methane is essential in international climate efforts and goals.