Scientific Theme: Advanced Modeling and Observing Systems

Scientific Theme: Planetary Metabolism
has shown that the global gas flaring volume has remained largely stable over the past twelve years and in the range
of 150 to 170 billion cubic meters (BCM) per year. In 2006, the gas flaring estimate of 168 BCM represented 27%
of the natural gas consumption by the United States with a potential market value of $69 billion. Another factor to
consider is that the global gas flaring adds more than 84 million metric tons of carbon to the atmosphere each year.
Capture and effective use of the flared gas is an obvious candidate in efforts to reduce global carbon emissions.
Global gas-flare imagery and estimates of flaring by country:
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/dmsp/interest/gas_flares.html.
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