A Study on Environmental Effects of Gas Flaring in Iran and its Role for the Country's Commitments in Paris Agreement

Burning of associated petroleum gas, namely gas flaring, is considered one of the main sources of greenhouse gas emission in Iran, bringing about various economic and environmental problems. This research tries to shed a light on different aspects of environmental defects of gas flaring and explain Iran's situation in this regard. To be able to do so, a novel method for calculation of flared gas emissions is described in this paper. This method relies on flared gas volume estimations that are provided by satellite imaging. The results show that some 53 million tones of CO2 equivalent is released every year due to flaring in Iran. It should be noted that Iran is committed to reduce its greenhouse gas emission by 4 percent unconditional and 8 percent conditional due to Paris agreement (COP 21). This commitment requires powerful and wise policies that can guarantee its success with the minimum cost. Since gas flaring contributes to about 7.4 percent of Iran's total amount of greenhouse gas emissions, Iran can cover almost all of its commitments by eliminating gas flaring, for which Paris agreement provides suitable supports.