Iraq was found to be one of the largest gas-flaring nations in a recent World Bank analysis.
Iraq, Russia, Iran, the United States, Venezuela, Algeria, Libya, Nigeria, and Mexico were named in the World Bank’s Global Gas Flaring Tracker report last week as the nations with the most gas flares in 2023.
According to the report, these nine nations produce only 46% of the world’s oil but 75% of the world’s gas flaring.
The analysis also showed that the intensity of Iraq’s flaring has increased, with 17 billion cubic meters of gas burned.
Raw natural gas that is associated with the oil also rises to the surface when crude oil is produced from oil wells. When there are no pipelines or other gas transportation infrastructure, large quantities of this related gas are frequently flared as waste or useless gas.
Methane is released into the atmosphere from the natural gas that is not burned by a flare. Over a century, the potential for methane to cause global warming is anticipated to be approximately 32 times greater than that of CO2.
The majority of Iraq’s surplus gas comes from oil wells. The practice makes a big difference in atmospheric emissions of greenhouse gases, which hurt the environment badly and change the climate. Additionally, it puts the lives of those who live near the places where the fires start.
