Why ending gas flaring could help the planet

The document advocates for the "Zero Routine Flaring by 2030" initiative, noting that 45 endorsers representing over 40% of global gas flaring have committed to ending the practice. It highlights that the 140 billion cubic meters of gas flared annually could provide more electricity than Africa's total consumption, while reducing 350 million tons of CO2 emissions annually.

• The "Zero Routine Flaring by 2030" initiative aims to end the oil industry's practice of routinely flaring gas at production sites worldwide. As of the writing, 45 endorsers, representing more than 40 percent of global gas flaring, have committed to avoiding wasteful flaring in new developments and ending legacy routine flaring by 2030.
• Approximately 140 billion cubic meters of natural gas produced with oil are flared annually. If this gas were utilized for power generation, it could produce 750 billion kWh of electricity, which exceeds the current total consumption of Africa.
• Gas flaring has significant environmental and health impacts, contributing roughly 350 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere every year, an amount comparable to the emissions of 77 million cars. Additionally, partial combustion in some flares releases black carbon (soot).
• The author asserts that ending routine flaring is a feasible goal because the necessary technologies to either reinject the gas into the ground or harness it for productive uses—such as electricity, heating, cooking, or petrochemical feedstock—already exist.

APA

George, A. M. (2015). Why ending gas flaring could help the planet. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/why-ending-gas-flaring-could-help-the-planet/

Chicago

George, Anita Marangoly. Why ending gas flaring could help the planet. World Economic Forum, 2015. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/why-ending-gas-flaring-could-help-the-planet/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=George |first1=Anita Marangoly |title=Why ending gas flaring could help the planet |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=10 December 2015 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/why-ending-gas-flaring-could-help-the-planet/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{george2015why, author = {George, Anita Marangoly}, title = {{Why ending gas flaring could help the planet}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2015}, month = dec, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/why-ending-gas-flaring-could-help-the-planet/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }