‘Breakthrough’ as Turkmenistan starts fixing ‘mindboggling’ methane mega-leaks — SkimNews
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- Turkmenistan has fixed 8 methane mega-leaks — repairing corroded pipes, faulty wells and failing flares — after receiving 192 UN Mars alerts in the past year, the most of any country.
- The UN Methane Alert and Response System (Mars) identified Turkmenistan as home to 3 of the 6 worst leaks and 9 of the top 50 globally; Turkmenistan responded to roughly 20% of its alerts with on-the-ground information and fix plans.
- Methane traps 80 times more heat than CO2 and accounts for 25% of current global heating; the Guardian's 2023 investigation found Turkmenistan's two main fossil fuel fields caused more global warming in 2022 than the UK's entire annual carbon emissions.
- Kazakhstan has also sealed 8 leaks after receiving 38 Mars alerts in the past year; globally, Mars alerts have led to 43 leaks being plugged, including one in Algeria that had been running for nearly 40 years due to a faulty flare.
- The United States received 138 Mars alerts — the second-highest total — but has responded to none and fixed no leaks; the one Biden-era repair in New Mexico ended with Trump's return, and Trump last year called climate change "the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world."
- Iran, Russia and China also failed to respond to any Mars alerts, while Mexico, Brazil and Argentina achieved 100% response rates despite Mexico hosting the worst single leak ever detected at 37 tonnes per hour, equivalent to emissions from more than 7 million SUVs.
Why it matters: Methane causes 25% of current global warming and cuts deliver fast climate benefits, so each repaired leak is outsized leverage. Turkmenistan's eight fixes prove satellite monitoring can pressure even secretive states into action — but with the US, Iran, Russia and China responding to zero alerts, the approach only works when governments choose to engage.
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