By Atoyebi Nike
Nigeria has once again ranked among the top gas-flaring nations in the world, according to the World Bank’s 2024 Global Gas Flaring Tracker report.
The report places Nigeria alongside Russia, Iran, Iraq, the United States, Venezuela, Algeria, Libya, and Mexico as the nine countries responsible for over 75 percent of global gas flaring despite collectively producing less than half of the world’s oil. The economic toll of this waste was pegged at a staggering $63 billion in lost energy.
The data shows that Nigeria, along with Iran, the US, Iraq, and Russia, accounted for the largest increase in flare volumes last year. These five nations alone contributed 4.6 billion cubic meters (bcm) to the surge in global flaring.
Overall, gas flaring at upstream oil and gas operations rose by 2 percent to 151 bcm in 2024, marking the highest level in nearly two decades. The environmental impact is equally alarming 389 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent were released, including 46 million tonnes from unburnt methane, one of the most harmful greenhouse gases.
The World Bank attributed the rise to insufficient action by governments and oil operators to curb flaring practices. While some countries like Algeria and Libya reduced their flare volumes due to lower oil output, the top flaring nations showed minimal progress.
Iran saw a 12 percent increase in flaring, largely due to rising oil production and continued neglect of gas recovery infrastructure. The country’s flaring intensity measured by gas flared per barrel of oil was more than three times the global average.
Conversely, the United States achieved significant progress, halving its flaring intensity since 2012 and now ranks among the world’s lowest in that category. Iraq also saw no significant change, while all other top flaring countries reported increases compared to 2012.
The World Bank noted that nations supporting the Zero Routine Flaring by 2030 (ZRF) initiative have performed better, recording a 12 percent decline in flaring intensity since 2012. In contrast, non-participating countries saw their intensity rise by 25 percent.
Countries like Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Indonesia, and Kazakhstan signatories to the ZRF pledge have shown meaningful progress in reducing flaring volumes.
To support emission reduction efforts, the World Bank’s Global Flaring and Methane Reduction (GFMR) Partnership is funding various mitigation initiatives. In Uzbekistan, for example, GFMR has committed $11 million to help detect and seal methane leaks in gas transport networks cutting 9,000 tonnes of emissions annually, with potential to reach 100,000 tonnes per year.
Zubin Bamji, GFMR Partnership Manager at the World Bank, emphasized the urgency of action. “Governments and operators must make flaring reduction a priority, or this practice will persist. The solutions exist. With effective policies, we can create favorable conditions that incentivize flaring reduction projects and lead to sustainable, scalable action. We should turn this wasted gas into an engine for economic development.”
