Russia is burning off natural gas as global temperatures soar and energy costs skyrocket: report

26 August 2022

As Russia continues to burn off substantial amounts of gas, other areas of the world are facing soaring energy costs, a new analysis explains.

According to BBC News, "Experts say the gas would previously have been exported to Germany."

However, things are a bit different now. Speaking to the news outlet, Germany's ambassador Miguel Berger explained that "Russia was burning the gas because they couldn't sell it elsewhere."

As a result of the latest occurrences, scientists are now expressing concern about the increase in carbon dioxide and soot Russia's natural gas burning has caused which could accelerate melting of ice in the Arctic.

While the burning of natural gas is relatively normal, experts have explained why this situation is fairly different.

"I've never seen an LNG plant flare so much," said Dr. Jessica McCarty, a Miami University, Ohio expert who studies satellite data. "Starting around June, we saw this huge peak, and it just didn't go away. It's stayed very anomalously high."

Berger also noted: "that European efforts to reduce reliance on Russian gas were 'having a strong effect on the Russian economy.'"

"They don't have other places where they can sell their gas, so they have to burn it," Berger suggested.

The energy and gas concerns come as climate experts also raise alarm about another issue: black carbon.

"Of particular concern with flaring at Arctic latitudes is the transport of emitted black carbon northward where it deposits on snow and ice and significantly accelerates melting," said Matthew Johnson, a professor at Carleton University in Canada.

"Some highly cited estimates already put flaring as the dominant source of black carbon deposition in the Arctic and any increases in flaring in this region are especially unwelcome."

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