The ATO green roads profiles present country-level perspectives on how 35 Asia-Pacific economies are addressing the development and management of sustainable eco-friendly roads. Drawing from diverse datasets and policy documents, the profiles highlight practices and measures that contribute to greener transport infrastructure.

Developed by the Asian Transport Observatory (ATO) in partnership with the International Road Federation (IRF), the profiles are designed to complement the Green Roads Toolkit. The toolkit provides a practical reference for integrating good practices across nine dimensions:

• Decarbonization
• Climate resilience
• Water and land management
• Pollution reduction
• Conserving biodiversity
• Responsible sourcing of materials
• Improving quality of life
• Disaster preparedness
• Fostering inclusive growth

This 2025 edition builds on earlier work to provide a comprehensive resource for guiding the planning, development, construction, and management of greener, more sustainable roads.

Spanning roughly 470,000 square kilometers, Turkmenistan's vast geography necessitates a robust transport network to connect its 7.5 million citizens. The current 49,300-kilometer road network—comprising 85% local and rural roads—serves as the primary artery for the nation's mobility. Yet, this infrastructure faces a tripartite challenge: it must decarbonize to meet climate goals, harden against intensifying weather extremes, and expand to resolve persistent inequities in rural access. The pathway to a "green road" system in Turkmenistan is not just an environmental aspiration but a fundamental economic and social necessity.

The trajectory of Turkmenistan's vehicle fleet offers a complex baseline for decarbonization. Motorization has risen to 205 vehicles per thousand people, yet remains well below the Asia-Pacific average of 317, suggesting the country is on the cusp of a significant mobility expansion. While road transport constitutes the entirety of the transport sector's greenhouse gas (GHG) output—reaching 6.5 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2024—the efficiency of this growth shows promise. Since 2015, the emissions intensity relative to GDP has improved by 8.5% annually, outperforming regional peers in Central and West Asia. However, this efficiency gain is shadowed by a heavy fiscal burden: between 2016 and 2023, fossil fuel subsidies in transport amounted to USD 9.9 billion. These subsidies mask the true societal costs of transport, where external damages from congestion and road crashes account for 97% of the burden, significantly outweighing costs associated with road damage.

Transitioning this fleet requires overcoming structural inertia. Electric vehicle (EV) adoption is in its infancy, representing just 1% of total vehicle imports and comprised almost entirely of light-duty vehicles. The UNEP rates Turkmenistan's E-mobility readiness at 41 out of 100 in 2024, citing an absence in policy frameworks despite moderate readiness in energy infrastructure. Without targeted policy intervention to pivot the 99% of imports that remain internal combustion engines, the lock-in effect of carbon-intensive assets will persist for decades.

Beyond the tailpipe, the physical road network represents a massive stock of embodied carbon and material capital. Modelling suggests the road infrastructure contains 266.3 million tonnes of material stock, with expansion and maintenance demanding an additional 7.6 million tonnes annually. This material throughput generates roughly 383,000 tonnes of embodied CO2 emissions every year. Furthermore, infrastructure placement increasingly conflicts with ecological preservation. Research indicates that 33 of Turkmenistan's 50 Key Biodiversity Areas currently contain road infrastructure, equating to a density of 25 meters per thousand square kilometers within these sensitive zones. New projects must be scrutinized; UNEP mapping of 13 upcoming road projects warns of potential risks to over 545,000 tonnes of carbon stocks and 677 kg of Nitrogen retention by vegetation, endangering biodiversity, among others.

Climate resilience is no longer a theoretical concern for these assets. Under a 4.5-degree warming scenario, nearly a quarter of the country's road and rail assets face exposure to extreme precipitation. The economic implications are immediate: the country already faces estimated annual losses of USD 14.9 million to transport infrastructure, with roads absorbing 70% of this damage.

Ultimately, the measure of a green road network is its ability to serve people equitably. The current system leaves 1.9 million rural residents—more than a quarter of the population—beyond the reach of all-season roads, severing their reliable access to markets, healthcare, and education. Urban agglomerations face similar connectivity deficits; in 44% of cities with data, only two out of ten residents have access to public transport, and only 11% of urban areas achieve a high accessibility rating. This disconnect forces a reliance on private vehicles, exacerbating air quality issues where road transport already contributes 99% of the sector's PM 2.5 emissions. The World Bank estimates the health damages from ambient PM 2.5 exposure cost the economy USD 5.4 billion annually, or roughly 6% of GDP.

The economic burden of road crashes in Turkmenistan is substantial. Estimated at approximately 2 billion USD in 2021, representing roughly 2% of the country's GDP, these costs encompass fatalities, injuries, and related expenses. Furthermore, road crashes contribute significantly to the implicit costs of fossil fuel subsidies in transport, accounting for about 43% of the total. The International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) estimates that an annual investment of 206 million USD (approximately 0.3% of GDP) could potentially prevent around 200 fatalities annually. This highlights the potential for cost-effective interventions to improve road safety.

The data underscores that the cost of inaction—measured in health impacts, climate vulnerability, and economic inefficiency—far exceeds the investment required to modernize.

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