Global gas flaring surged for a second consecutive year in 2024, reaching 151 billion cubic metres (bcm) — the highest volume in nearly two decades — wasting approximately US$63 billion in energy and significantly undermining emissions reduction and energy security efforts.
The troubling increase, reported by the World Bank’s annual Global Gas Flaring Tracker, represents a 3 bcm rise from the previous year and resulted in an estimated 389 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, including 46 million tonnes from unburnt methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
Despite progress by some countries, the top nine flaring nations — Russia, Iran, Iraq, the United States, Venezuela, Algeria, Nigeria, Libya, and Mexico — account for about 75 per cent of global flaring while producing less than half of the world’s oil. Satellite data over the past 15 years indicates flaring intensity — the gas flared per barrel of oil produced — has stubbornly remained high.
Demetrios Papathanasiou, World Bank Global Director for Energy and Extractives, expressed frustration at the waste given the global energy access challenges, stating: “When more than a billion people still don’t have access to reliable energy and numerous countries are seeking more sources of energy to meet higher demand, it’s very frustrating to see this natural resource wasted.”
The report highlights the positive impact of commitments to the Zero Routine Flaring by 2030 (ZRF) initiative.
Countries endorsing ZRF since 2012 achieved an average 12 per cent reduction in flaring intensity, while those without commitments saw a 25 per cent increase, underscoring the value of coordinated global efforts.
To accelerate progress, the World Bank’s Global Flaring and Methane Reduction (GFMR) Partnership supports projects through catalytic grants, technical assistance, and policy advisory services.
For example, in Uzbekistan, a GFMR grant of $11 million helped identify and fix methane leaks in the gas transportation network, cutting emissions by 9,000 tonnes annually, with potential reductions up to 100,000 tonnes per year.
Zubin Bamji, World Bank Manager for GFMR, emphasised the importance of political and operational commitment: “Governments and operators must make flaring reduction a priority, or this practice will persist.
“The solutions exist.
“With effective policies we can create favourable conditions that incentivise flaring reduction projects and lead to sustainable, scalable action.
“We should turn this wasted gas into an engine for economic development.”
The report calls for urgent global focus to turn away from the wasteful and polluting practice of gas flaring, which continues to emit significant greenhouse gases while depriving millions of access to clean and reliable energy.
