Global gas flaring surged for second year in a row

Global gas flaring surged for a second year in a row, wasting about $63 billion in lost energy and setting back efforts to manage emissions and boost energy security and access.

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Flaring, the practice of burning natural gas during oil extraction, reached 151 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2024, up 3 bcm from the previous year and the highest level in almost two decades. An estimated 389 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent-46 million of that from unburnt methane, one of the most potent greenhouse gases-was needlessly emitted.