The fossil fuel industry pumped an extra 389 million tonnes of carbon pollution into the atmosphere last year by needlessly flaring gas, a World Bank report has found, in an 'enormous waste' of fuel that heats the planet by about as much as the country of France.
Flaring is a way to get rid of gases such as methane that arise when pumping oil out of the ground. While it can sometimes keep workers safe by relieving buildups of pressure, the practice is routine in many countries because it is often cheaper to burn gas than to capture, transport, process and sell it.
Global gas flaring rose for a second year in a row to reach its highest level since 2007, the report found, despite growing concerns about energy security and climate breakdown. It found that 151 billion cubic metres of gas were burned during oil and gas production in 2024, up by 3 billion cubic metres from the year before.
In many cases, observers complain, the rules to prevent needless flaring are weak and poorly enforced, and companies have little incentive to stop doing it because they do not have to pay for the pollution it causes. The report found that nine countries – Russia, Iran, Iraq, the US, Venezuela, Algeria, Libya, Mexico and Nigeria – were responsible for three-quarters of all gas flaring in 2024.
Despite efforts to stop the practice, the intensity of flaring – the volume flared per barrel of oil produced – had remained 'stubbornly high' over the last 15 years, the report found. The International Energy Agency has called for the elimination of all flaring except in emergencies by 2030.
The report highlighted areas of progress, pointing to some oil and gas producers, such as Angola, Egypt, Indonesia and Kazakhstan, that had successfully reduced the amount of gas flared. Kazakhstan, which has levied steep fines on companies that break the rules, had reduced flaring by 71% since 2012.
