Why are we still flaring gas?

Catalyst with Shayle Kann

Oil producers waste a lot of natural gas. Last year they flared 150 billion cubic meters of associated gas into the atmosphere, equivalent to about half the global carbon emissions of aviation over a 30-year period.

So why are oil producers burning a valuable commodity like gas?

In this episode, Shayle talks to Tomás de Oliveira Bredariol, an energy and environmental policy analyst focused on methane at the IEA. So far, multiple major global initiatives haven’t made a dent in flare volumes, which have remained largely flat since 2010. Shayle and Tomás talk about the reasons why and the potential solutions, covering topics like:

• The nine countries responsible for about three quarters of flare volumes
• Why we don’t just build more pipelines
• Why oil wells may choose expensive diesel instead of powering their equipment with associated gas
• Converting gas into more valuable forms, like compressed natural gas, liquid natural gas, or methanol
• The potential for regulation and financial incentives to push producers to cut flare volumes

Recommended resources

International Energy Agency: Curtailing Methane Emissions from Fossil Fuel Operations

National Renewable Energy Laboratory: Stranded Natural Gas Roadmap

World Bank: Global Gas Flaring Data

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