COP31 host Turkey says methane cuts are a priority, but satellite data from UCLA and Carbon Mapper shows large landfill leaks. The analysis found 70 methane plumes at Turkey's 10 highest-emitting waste sites, with the Seymen landfill west of Istanbul averaging around 7.4 tons per hour. Turkey is the world's fifth-largest methane emitter from solid waste, and waste emissions rose nearly 25 percent over the decade to 2024. The Seymen landfill already captures gas and uses it to generate electricity, which shows that collection systems alone do not stop leaks. Researchers say a few large sites offer outsized mitigation potential, especially if operators fix cracked covers and faulty gas wells. Turkey's environment ministry disputes the satellite data and points to its Zero Waste Initiative, but it does not provide continuous measurement. Turkey is not part of the Global Methane Pledge, so COP31 is a test of whether its methane priority becomes binding regulation. For anyone tracking carbon markets or climate policy, the story is a reminder that methane reductions are fast-acting and highly concentrated in a small number of waste sites.
