The amount of flaring of natural gas at oil wells decreased globally in 2017, the first time the level has fallen since 2013. Most of the fall was as a result of Russian improvement, as older oil fields were closed and new ones opened, such that despite maintaining the level of oil output, the country flared 11% less gas. Meanwhile, in the USA flaring increased 7% as oil output also increased, meaning that the US now flares the fourth highest amount of gas in the world after Russia, Iran and Iraq. The World Bank, which in 2015 launched an initiative to end routine flaring by 2030, has described the results as “encouraging”.