Gas flaring is the controlled burning of natural gas at oil and gas production sites, visible as the bright flames you sometimes see atop tall metal stacks near drilling operations or refineries. It happens when natural gas surfaces alongside oil during extraction but can’t be captured, stored, or sold economically. In 2024, the world flared 151 billion cubic meters of gas, the highest level since 2007.
Why Gas Gets Flared
When oil is pumped from underground, natural gas often comes up with it. This is called “associated gas,” and ideally it would be captured and sold. But in many locations, especially remote ones, there’s no pipeline or processing infrastructure nearby. Building that infrastructure costs money and takes time, so operators burn the gas off instead.
Flaring also serves as a critical safety mechanism. At gas processing plants and compressor stations, flare systems act as pressure relief valves. If equipment malfunctions or pressure builds unexpectedly, the flare burns off excess gas to prevent explosions or equipment rupture. Operators also flare during routine maintenance, equipment repairs, and well testing after a new well is drilled and hydraulically fractured. In these situations, flaring is temporary and intentional.
The physical setup is straightforward: a tall metal stack connected to pipes that feed gas upward, where it ignites and burns at the tip. Some flares run continuously at production sites, while others only activate during emergencies or specific operations.
Routine vs. Emergency Flaring
The distinction matters. Emergency and maintenance flaring is generally considered unavoidable, a necessary safety practice at any facility handling pressurized gas. Routine flaring is the problem. This is the everyday, ongoing burning of associated gas simply because there’s no economic incentive or infrastructure to do anything else with it. It’s routine flaring that accounts for the bulk of those 151 billion cubic meters burned globally each year, and it’s what regulators and international organizations are trying to eliminate.
What Flaring Releases Into the Air
When a flare works perfectly, it converts methane (the main component of natural gas and a potent greenhouse gas) into carbon dioxide and water. That’s already a climate problem, since CO₂ is a greenhouse gas, but it’s less harmful than releasing raw methane, which traps roughly 80 times more heat than CO₂ over a 20-year period.
The trouble is that flares rarely work perfectly. Industry and regulators have long assumed that flares stay lit and burn 98% of the methane they receive. Research from the University of Michigan found the reality is much worse. Flares were unlit roughly 3% to 5% of the time, meaning raw methane was streaming directly into the atmosphere. Even when lit, many flares operated at low efficiency. Combined, these factors put the actual average flaring efficiency at just 91%, meaning nearly one in ten units of methane escapes unburned.
Beyond CO₂ and unburned methane, flares release a cocktail of other pollutants: black carbon (soot), nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and volatile organic compounds. The exact mix depends on the composition of the gas being burned and how well the flare is functioning.
Health Effects on Nearby Communities
People living near flaring operations face real health consequences. The soot particles and nitrogen dioxide released by flares are small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, contributing to respiratory disease, heart disease, and stroke. A study published in GeoHealth estimated that flaring and venting emissions in the United States cause over 710 premature deaths annually, along with approximately 73,000 childhood asthma flare-ups and 92 childhood asthma emergency department visits per year. The estimated health damages total $7.4 billion annually.
Research in specific oil-producing regions has reinforced these findings. In the Eagle Ford Shale in Texas, flaring activity was associated with increased risk of preterm birth. In North Dakota’s Bakken region, higher flaring correlated with more respiratory-related hospital visits. These effects fall disproportionately on rural communities located closest to production sites.
The Scale of the Problem
Global flaring volumes have been climbing. Satellite tracking by the World Bank shows that flaring rose from 148 billion cubic meters in 2023 to 151 billion cubic meters in 2024, a 2% increase. To put that volume in perspective, 151 billion cubic meters of natural gas could supply the entire residential gas consumption of a large country for a year. Instead, it’s burned with no energy captured.
The World Bank launched its Zero Routine Flaring by 2030 initiative in 2015, aiming to get governments and oil companies to commit to ending routine flaring by the end of this decade. As of 2023, 35 governments and 57 companies had signed on, totaling 108 endorsements. Despite those commitments, the upward trend in global flaring volumes suggests that progress on the ground has not kept pace with pledges.
Alternatives to Burning It Off
Several proven technologies can capture associated gas instead of flaring it. The simplest is building pipeline connections to existing gas-gathering networks so the gas can be processed and sold. Where pipelines aren’t feasible, other options exist.
- Gas reinjection: Pumping the gas back underground, either for storage or to maintain pressure in oil reservoirs and boost oil recovery. Research in the Bakken formation found that alternating gas reinjection could increase oil production rates by up to 70%, giving operators a direct financial incentive to stop flaring.
- On-site power generation: Using the gas to fuel generators that power drilling operations or nearby facilities, replacing diesel fuel.
- Small-scale LNG and gas-to-liquids: Modular equipment can convert gas into liquefied natural gas or liquid fuels like methanol on-site, making it transportable by truck rather than pipeline.
- Petrochemical feedstock: Associated gas can be processed into chemicals like ethylene, ammonia, or dimethyl ether, turning waste into a revenue stream.
The barrier is rarely technological. In most cases, it comes down to economics: building capture infrastructure costs money upfront, and in regions with low gas prices or short-lived wells, operators calculate that flaring is cheaper. Regulations that penalize flaring or require gas capture plans shift that math, which is why policy has become central to the issue. In places where strong rules exist, flaring rates have dropped. Where enforcement is weak or rules are absent, the flames keep burning.