Oilwell fires
THE WORLD Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has gone on record officially that oilwell fires in Kuwait have had no global effect on the atmosphere. At WMO's recent meeting in Geneva with representatives of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) scientific papers were presented that showed the massive amounts of carbon and other pollutants released into the air from more than 700 burning wells have neither global nor lasting damaging atmospheric effect. The fires, started in March 1991 as the Iraqi forces withdrew from Kuwait, emitted more than 70 million cubic metres of gas per day through last summer and temporarily affected air quality and weather in West Asian region.