The uphill battle against flaring and methane emissions

While some countries have made significant strides in reducing routine flaring and methane emissions, the global picture is still marked by slow progress and growing volumes

Some countries have made notable progress in cutting routine flaring and methane emissions from the oil and gas sectors in recent years, with those that joined the World Bank’s Zero Routine Flaring by 2030 (ZRF) initiative launched in 2015 performing markedly better than those that have not. Overall progress, however, remains poor. Global flare volumes climbed in 2024 to their highest level in 17 years, according to the bank, while flaring intensity—the amount of associated gas burned off per barrel of oil produced—has barely changed over the past decade-and-a-half. Zubin Bamji, manager of the World Bank’s Global Flaring & Methane Reduction Partnership (GFMR), cites two main reasons for