Methane from flaring by oil companies much bigger threat to climate than previously thought, study warns

Findings highlight need for better measurement of flare performance across the world

Flares observed in operation in the Bakken Formation in the Williston Basin in North Dakota, 2021 (Alan Gorchov Negron, University of Michigan and Yulia Chen of Stanford University)

The 160-year-old oil industry practice of flaring to burn off associated emissions during petroleum extraction could be releasing five times more amount of methane in the US than previously thought, according to a new study.

While burning off the powerful greenhouse gas methane at oil and gas wells was thought to keep it from escaping into the atmosphere, the new study, published in the journal Science on Thursday, says the effectiveness of the process has been overestimated.

Based on the new findings, researchers, including those from the University of Michigan in the US, say fixing issues with flaring can cut greenhouse gas emissions the equivalent of removing 3 million cars off roads.