We must do more to speed up ending fossil fuel subsidies
By Niklas Hagelberg
NAIROBI, Kenya, June 5,
2019 (IPS) - Fossil fuels — oil,
gas, coal and their derivatives
— pollute the atmosphere and
emit the greenhouse gases that
are ramping up global heating
to dangerous levels. But did
you know that governments
around the world are subsidizing
this pollution?
Historically, governments
around the world have used
fossil fuel subsidies for a variety
of reasons, including to
promote energy independence,
encourage industry and cushion
the poorest in society.
But they never took sufficient
account of what economists
call “externalities” such
as air pollution and the resulting
impacts on our health.
There is a special kind of
madness in a system that funds
the healthcare burden from
asthma, respiratory diseases
and lung cancer, and at the
same time funds companies
that pollute the air and contribute
towards these health
issues in the first place.
Ordinary people pay the
price three times over — taxes
for healthcare, taxes to support
fossil fuel subsidies, and then
the ultimate price of compromises
to their health.
Air pollution claims the lives
of one in nine every year and is
the single biggest health risk
facing people across the world.
Fossil fuel subsidies often fail to
benefit targeted groups and are
a significant drain on national
budgets.
Global fossil fuel subsidies
cost taxpayers about US$400
billion. Imagine if these public
resources were directed to
finance sustainable development,
clean energy and climate
action.
Fossil fuel subsidies disproportionately
benefit the top oil
majors, help their profit margins
and serve as a powerful
disincentive to develop renewable
energy. They also reduce
the available pot of resources
for investment in renewables.
Countries that heavily subsidize
these fuels of the past are
stifling the current and future
business and economic opportunities
that renewable energy
provides.
Redirecting the money used
for fossil fuel subsidies has the
potential to accelerate our ability
to address the global climate
Contributing Writers: Azad Ali, Tangerine Clarke,
Nelson King, George Alleyne,
Vinette K. Pryce, Bert Wilkinson
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crisis, and ensure a just
decarbonization. The additional
resources could also be used
for other development priorities
such as health, education
or infrastructure.
The planet can no longer
afford these subsidies. We
should move to scrap them as
soon as possible and make the
switch to a green economy.
The energy landscape
is changing quickly
The energy transition is
happening now, all around us.
The growth rate of renewables
is three times faster than
fossil and nuclear fuel, with
record growth rates in solar
and wind power. The United
Kingdom just went 100
days on 100 percent renewable
energy sources, and no one
noticed.
However, despite the rapid
pace of change, the bulk of all
our power for heating, lighting,
cooking, transport and
industry still comes from fossil
fuels.
A major way to reduce air
pollution, which is above
World Health Organization
safe levels in many cities
around the world, is to switch
more quickly away from fossil
fuels. We should eliminate
fossil fuel subsidies, except for
liquefied petroleum gas cooking
programmes.
UN Environment, in collaboration
with the Organisation
for Economic Cooperation
and Development and
the International Institute
for Sustainable Development
Global Service Initiative, has
developed a methodology to
measure fossil fuel subsidies,
providing comparable data to
allow the tracking of national
and global trends.
The report helps governments
to understand the
extent of the problem (for
example what percentage of
their Gross Domestic Product
they spend on fossil fuel subsidies)
and take action to reduce
or abolish these subsidies.
Air pollution is the theme
for World Environment Day
on 5 June 2019. The quality of
the air we breathe depends on
the lifestyle choices we make
every day. Learn more about
how air pollution affects you,
and what is being done to
clean the air. What are you
doing to reduce your emissions
footprint and #BeatAir-
Pollution?
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Redirecting the
money used for
fossil fuel subsidies
has the potential
to accelerate our
ability to address the
global climate crisis,
and ensure a just
decarbonization.
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