Dr. Jessica Neafie and Emil Bayramov Present on Methane Policy at the 3rd Annual SDSN Kazakhstan Conference

At the 3rd Annual Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Kazakhstan Conference, held in May 2025 at Suleyman Demirel University (SDU) in Almaty, Dr. Jessica Neafie and Emil Bayramov delivered a presentation on the need for methane regulation in Kazakhstan and beyond. Their talk, titled “Methane Emissions, Sustainability, and Policy Development: Analyzing Methane Policy after the Buzachi Neft Incident,” examined the 2023 methane leak at the Karaturun oil field and its implications for national climate governance.

Using a comparative case framework, including Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan, the presentation explored why methane regulation often lags despite its cost-effective mitigation potential. Highlighting four drivers of policy action (public perception, market incentives, supranational influence, and domestic priorities), the study offered insights into why some states act while others remain idle, even when there are environmental and economic benefits.

The research discusses how Kazakhstan’s methane policy remains reactive and fragmented, often making international commitments without local enforcement mechanisms. By contrast, moments of reputational crisis, such as the Buzachi Neft leak, can create action but are rarely sustained without broader structural change.