Steps can be taken to reduce the amount of venting and flaring that occur during oil and natural gas extraction. Both venting and flaring are ultimately wastes of economically valuable resources in the form of natural gas and together they
contribute, by one estimate, 1% of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions and 4% of anthropogenic methane emissions worldwide, exacerbating global climate change. Any process that reduces flaring during well completion is called a reduced
emissions completion (REC). RECs often involve the use of a portable device that is installed at the well head that is specifically designed to separate liquid from gas at the high liquid-to-gas ratios found during the initial flowback period. The gas captured by this device can be delivered to transmission lines as usual, reducing the need for venting or flaring.