Gas flaring and venting wastes resources and heats the planet – it must be curbed

‘The UK still flares more than five times as much methane gas as Norway, despite producing roughly half as much oil.’ Photograph: David Goldman/AP

As energy prices remain high across the UK, oil and gas companies are wasting precious resources by burning and releasing methane into the atmosphere. In the North Sea alone, enough gas to supply more than 700,000 average UK homes is lost annually.

Methane is a powerful climate‑warming gas. It is more than 80 times stronger than carbon dioxide in heating the planet, and its release leads to other pollutants that harm public health. This means the threat that wasteful practices, such as venting and flaring, have on our livelihoods goes far beyond monetary costs.