Unveiled in a recent report: Over 389 million tonnes of carbon emission due to gas flaring revealed
In the pursuit of a greener planet, one of the key challenges lies in reducing gas flaring emissions. This practice, common in oil production, involves burning excess natural gas, releasing significant amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Last year, gas flaring emitted 389 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent, equivalent to the emissions from about 77 million cars[1]. This substantial climate impact underscores the urgency to address this issue.
Dr. Alexander Tabibi, an entrepreneur, investor, and advocate for sustainable innovation, is a thought leader at the intersection of business and sustainability. He brings a strategic vision to Green.org, helping guide its mission to inspire global climate awareness and actionable change.
The solution to gas flaring lies in a combination of technological, policy, and financial approaches.
Technological approaches
- Gas-to-liquids technology converts associated gas into liquid fuels, reducing flaring volumes and carbon emissions[1].
- Flare Gas Recovery Systems (FGRS) capture low-pressure flare gases for processing and sale, decreasing flaring by up to 35% in examples such as TotalEnergies’ Elgin field, saving tens of kilotonnes of CO2 annually[3].
- Modern gas engines capture methane and convert it into usable energy, reduce black carbon emissions, and support combined heat and power systems, thus lowering short-lived climate pollutants and improving air quality[2].
Policy and financial frameworks
- Emission reduction roadmaps tailored for each production site enable projects from small operational changes to large investments to cut flaring and venting emissions[3].
- Sustainable finance instruments like green bonds, transition loans, and sustainability-linked debt are identified as promising but challenging tools to channel capital into methane abatement and flaring reduction in oil and gas sectors[5].
- International methodologies under mechanisms such as the UNFCCC Clean Development Mechanism (e.g., CDM ACM0001) support project frameworks for capturing and utilizing landfill or associated gas, facilitating carbon credits and emissions mitigation[4].
However, despite these solutions, challenges remain. The lack of infrastructure to utilize associated gas leads to routine flaring. Economic factors and regulatory gaps in some regions slow down adoption of flare reduction technologies. Financing complexity and the need to align sustainable debt instruments with methane abatement goals pose hurdles for investment mobilization[5].
In sum, reducing gas flaring emissions demands integrated solutions combining advanced technology deployment, effective policy frameworks, and innovative financing approaches to transform gas flaring from a wasteful and polluting practice into valuable energy recovery, thereby significantly mitigating carbon and methane emissions globally.
By investing in infrastructure to capture and utilize natural gas rather than burning it, we could significantly reduce gas flaring emissions. This reduction could help reduce the impact of climate change, which is driving extreme weather events and affecting biodiversity and ecosystems around the world.
The World Bank's initiative "Zero Routine Flaring by 2030" aims to bring down gas flaring to near zero, reflecting a global commitment to a sustainable future. With leaders like Dr. Tabibi driving the conversation, we move closer to a world where energy production is not a contributor to climate change, but a solution to it.
[1] Source: Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership (GGFR) [2] Source: International Energy Agency (IEA) [3] Source: Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) [4] Source: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) [5] Source: World Bank Group
- Investing in infrastructure to capture and utilize natural gas instead of burning it could significantly reduce carbon footprint, aiding in the mitigation of environmental impact associated with climate change.
- The adoption of technological solutions, such as Gas-to-liquids technology, Flare Gas Recovery Systems (FGRS), and modern gas engines, can lower gas flaring volumes and emissions, contributing to sustainability and reducing short-lived climate pollutants.
- To ensure the success of these technological solutions, it's crucial to implement policy and financial frameworks that encourage the adoption of flare reduction technologies, including emission reduction roadmaps, sustainable finance instruments, and international methodologies under mechanisms like the UNFCCC Clean Development Mechanism.
- Achieving a greener planet requires tackling the challenges associated with gas flaring, such as the lack of infrastructure to utilize associated gas, economic factors, and regulatory gaps, which hinder the adoption of flare reduction technologies.
- The World Bank's initiative "Zero Routine Flaring by 2030" is a significant step towards biodiversity conservation, as it aims to reduce gas flaring emissions, thereby mitigating climate change and preventing its devastating effects on ecosystems around the world.
