Contributions of gas flaring to a global air pollution hotspot: Spatial and temporal variations, impacts and alleviation

Abstract

h i g h l i g h t sFlare-related air pollution derived through combination of geospatial technologies. Extended pollution series constructed in the absence of in situ monitoring data. Impacts of air pollution on human health and natural ecosystems quantified. Inter-state contributions to pollution levels determined. Benefits of reduced flaring activity and increased flaring efficiency demonstrated. a b s t r a c tStudies of environmental impacts of gas flaring in the Niger Delta are hindered by limited access to official flaring emissions records and a paucity of reliable ambient monitoring data. This study uses a combination of geospatial technologies and dispersion modelling techniques to evaluate air pollution impacts of gas flaring on human health and natural ecosystems in the region. Results indicate that gas flaring is a major contributor to air pollution across the region, with concentrations exceeding WHO limits in some locations over certain time periods. Due to the predominant south-westerly wind, concentrations are higher in some states with little flaring activity than in others with significant flaring activity. Twenty million people inhabit areas of high flare-associated air pollution, which include all of the main ecological zones of the region, indicating that flaring poses a substantial threat to human health and the environment. Model scenarios demonstrated that substantial reductions in pollution could be achieved by stopping flaring at a small number of the most active sites and by improving overall flaring efficiency.

A global gas flaring black carbon emission rate dataset from 1994 to 2012

“…Annual economic losses related to gas flaring are estimated to be more than 5 and 11 billion dollars for Russia 2 and Nigeria 3 , which are the top two biggest contributors to gas flaring volumes in the world. Gas flaring has had a number of environmental and socioeconomic impacts, including changes in microclimate (e.g., temperature), reduction of bacterial and fungi, damage to economically valuable plant species 4 , oil contamination of soils and degradation of adjacent ecosystems 5 , increased risk of acid deposition 6 , alteration to the behavior of night-migrating birds 7 , increased risks of abortion, stillbirth, and mortality in domestic animals 8 , and reduced life expectancy 9 .…”

Spatial inventory of selected atmospheric emissions from oil industry in Ecuadorian Amazon: Insights from comparisons among satellite and institutional datasets

“…For instance, estimates from the NOAA satellite sensor, prior to 2012, might reflect similar spectral responses with other important sources, i.e., cloud coverage, biomass burning, and be prone to overestimates, compared to the previous DMSP-OLS calibration technique. Approximately 25% higher APG flared was estimated from satellite data in Nigeria and in Bolivia, where overestimates were due to biomass burning (Anejionu et al, 2015b). In subsequent years (2013, 2014 and 2015) the superior, calibrated sensor, VIIRS, indicated 800, 1000 and 1100 Mm 3 gas flared respectively in Ecuador (World Bank Group, 2018), to be compared to the 1500 Mm 3 in 2012 according to the former sensor (this study).…”

“…Venting and flaring produce atmospheric pollutants, comprising aerosol particulate matter (PM), including black carbon (BC), and greenhouse gases (GHG) such as methane or carbon dioxide. Gas flaring has the potential to acidify rainwater (Anejionu et al, 2015b). Black carbon (BC) is released during gas flaring and acts at a local level, resulting in soil calcination, degradation and destruction of vegetation (Solov, 2011).…”

Detection of a gas flaring signature in the AERONET optical properties of aerosols at a tropical station in West Africa

“…Anejionu et al . [], in their analysis of the multiyear spatial dispersion of gas flaring gaseous emissions from the Niger Delta region, classified the airshed of more than 70% of the Niger Delta as moderate to high‐pollution risk areas. Giwa et al .…”

“…In 2012, of the 325 active flare sites identified in the Nigeria oil field, 97 (~30%) ranked among the top 1000 largest flares identified globally. Anejionu et al [2015b], in their analysis of the multiyear spatial dispersion of gas flaring gaseous emissions from the Niger Delta region, classified the airshed of more than 70% of the Niger Delta as moderate to high-pollution risk areas. Giwa et al [2014], using emission factors from literature, estimated that gas flaring contributes about 10 Gg of black carbon (BC) to ambient BC concentration in the Niger Delta annually.…”