How Gas Flaring Contributes to Global Warming

Gas flaring, a byproduct of oil drilling, impacts climate change as much as a typical major economy such as Italy.  According to a recent report from the World Bank, an incredible $50 billion worth of gas is lost each and every year, which is actually a 30% reduction from a decade ago!

Efforts to Reduce Gas Flaring

The 30% reduction did not happen organically; rather, it was the result of:

• The introduction by various countries of various new laws and bans.
• The imposition of financial penalties and fines when gas flaring exceeds certain thresholds.
• The introduction of new oil field technology that reduces the waste.
• The introduction of new techniques to repurpose the wasted gas to, for example, generate electricity.

These efforts have had mixed success, depending on what country we are looking at.  Some countries, like Mexico, have been extremely successful in reducing gas flaring (66% reduction).  But other countries, like the U.S., have faltered – gas flaring here in the U.S. has tripled largely due to shale developments.

The World Bank has implored the largest 20 oil drillers to take steps to cut their gas flaring volume by at least 30% in the next 5 years, but this is easier said than done.  It would require a huge investment in technology and resources to accomplish the goal, and as such will take a substantial amount of time and commitment.  So far, only 6 of these large oil behemoths have successfully managed to reduce gas flaring.

In the final analysis, global warming increases storm frequency and severity, which increases outage frequency, which negatively impacts electric, gas and even water utilities.  I hope the World Bank’s targeted gas flaring reduction pans out, but it does not seem likely.  In the meantime, from an emergency preparedness perspective, this justifies the fact that utilities need to increase their focus on conducting emergency drills and exercises so they can be prepared for the worst at all times.