Fossil Fuel Firms Flared Most Gas Since 2019, Says World Bank
- Gas flaring rose last year, reversing declining trend of 2022
- Efforts to curb flaring haven’t been sustainable: World Bank
A natural gas flare burns near an oil pump jack in Grayville, Illinois.
Photographer: Luke Sharrett/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The burning of excess natural gas from global oil fields hit its highest level since 2019 last year, spewing enough pollutants into the atmosphere to equal those from an extra five million cars, according to a World Bank report.
Gas flaring by oil and gas producers rose by about 7% last year to 148 billion cubic meters compared to 2022, the World Bank’s Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report said Thursday. The increase in flaring resulted in an additional 23 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.