The amount of natural gas flared worldwide reached its highest level last year since 2007, the World Bank said, highlighting the challenge of reducing the carbon-emitting practice.
Flaring — or burning off excess natural gas that accompanies oil production — is a major source of emissions that contribute to climate change. The practice also is considered wasteful because the fuel isn’t sold, with the World Bank estimating that gas lost to flaring last year could’ve been worth $63 billion.
In its new report, the World Bank said the top nine flaring countries made up 76 percent of the global total, clocking in at 151 billion cubic meters in 2024. That echoes increases in recent years and marks a 5 percent uptick compared to 2012, it said. The bank is an international development and research organization.
“Governments and operators must make flaring reduction a priority, or this practice will persist,” said Zubin Bamji, manager for the Global Flaring & Methane Reduction Partnership at the World Bank, in a news release Friday. He called for turning “wasted gas into an engine for economic development.”
