Global Gas Flaring Satellite Survey Reveals Oil's Hidden Costs
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 09. 2.07
The first recently unveiled global satellite survey of gas flaring — a process commonly used to dispose of natural gas freed during oil production — has shown what many have now suspected for years: it is an extremely wasteful, costly problem that has helped contribute to global warming. Conducted over a 12-year period spanning 1995-2006, the survey, commissioned by the World Bank's Global Gas Flaring Reduction partnership (GGFR), was carried out by a team of scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Estimates produced for about 60 countries around the world revealed that gas flaring has remained largely stable over the last 12 years — in the range of 150-170 billion cubic meters annually — although 22 mostly lesser developed countries increased its use over that period (on the other hand, 16 other countries decreased its use). In 2006 alone, oil producing companies and countries burned close to 170 billion cubic meters of natural gas, equivalent to a whopping 27% of total U.S. natural gas consumption or 5.5% of total global production of natural gas. Flaring also emits around 400 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year.
"Gas flaring not only harms the environment by contributing to global warming but is a huge waste of a cleaner source of energy that could be used to generate much needed electricity in poor countries around the world. In Africa alone about 40 billion cubic meters of gas are burned every year, which if put to use could generate half of the electricity needed in that continent,” said Bent Svensson, head of the GGFR partnership.
The NOAA scientists used low-light imaging data from the Air Force Defense Meteorological Satellite Program to ascertain the volumes of gas burned during flares — which are only visible under nighttime, cloud-free conditions.
In the last few years, companies and governments have made efforts to eliminate flaring and reclaim the wasted energy — by re-injecting it into the ground to bolster oil production, transporting it to new markets via pipelines, using it onsite for electricity generation or by converting it into LNG for shipment. GGFR will continue to monitor worldwide gas flaring over the next few decades to encourage countries and companies alike to reduce the amount of waste and emissions generated.
Via ::The World Bank News & Broadcast: First Satellite Observations Of Gas Flaring Show Countries, Companies Need To Step Up Efforts (press release), ::Biopact: First global satellite survey of gas flaring shows hidden costs of oil (blog)
See also: ::Firewall Philanthropy: Blind-Eye Denialism In A Changing Climate, ::A Message to Shell Oil
here's a guess - this is the next big CDM project after SF6 projects in China - anybody have any info on fare reduction economics?
I've often wondered if there's a global warming double-whammy effect from this sort of thing. Aside from the emissions, the flaring generates a lot of heat. Add to that all the heat released by other forms of human activity, combustion engines, heating, cooking.. has any study factored this heat issue in when projecting temperature rises?
The coal-mine fires in Asia are still the largest source of CO2 in the world -- larger than all of the ICE engines in North America and the EU combined.
Add to that the flares and the intentional fires being set in Africa, and all the tree-hugging you can possibly do in the US and EU won't make enough difference to matter.
Then, you can factor in the rapid deforestation of South America...
Doesn't hold much hope for our grandchildren, does it?
Well Instructor, you did make a point. 'Malthus' had no idea what the total future sequence was going to be. He only thought about the food aspect. Humans are so creative, as well as destructive, more so the later. Hang on folks, it's going to be a wild ride into the future.
If all of that gas had been converted to electricity and used to create industry in the underdeveloped countries where the wells are located, then we might be applying for foreign aid from them by now. Africa has been exporting raw materials and re-importing finished products while wasting enough energy to drive a better economy. There ought to be some simple regulaltion that requires production companies to integrate electrical generation into an overall economic development program!