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SUBSIDY WATCH BLOG

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Trudeau’s India Visit: Cooperating on climate action will boost other agendas

February 21, 2018 | Vibhuti Garg , Ivetta Gerasimchuk

The agenda for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit to India this week includes trade, education, infrastructure, and skill development. Climate change action could boost collaboration in all of these areas and should not be left off the table

Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform Research Suggests Emission Reductions Equivalent to at Least a Quarter of the Commitments Countries Made at Paris

February 8, 2018 | Laura Merrill , Ivetta Gerasimchuk , Peter Wooders , Andrea Bassi

Research released in a letter to Nature describes how a single policy instrument, fossil fuel subsidy reform (FFSR), could deliver carbon emission reductions of between 0.5 to 2 Gt, or between 1 and 4 per cent, globally by 2030.

Five Things You Should Know (and Figures You Should See) about Energy Pricing Reforms in the Gulf

January 24, 2018 | Tom Moerenhout

Since the oil price drop in the summer of 2014, Gulf countries have made significant advances to reform fossil fuel prices.

Seeing Through the Smog

December 7, 2017 | Vibhuti Garg

With a rising population and fast-growing economy, energy demand in India is increasing rapidly. Is the country embarking upon a clean energy or a fossil fuel-dependent approach to meet this rising demand?

Part of the policy solution: fossil fuel subsidy reform and taxation at the UNFCCC

December 1, 2017 | Anna Zinecker , Laura Merrill

Fossil fuel subsidy reform was high on the agenda at the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP 23). At several events, experts and political leaders sent a clear signal to move fast to reform fossil fuel subsidies, which stood at over USD 425 billion in 2015.

Blog: Germany and Mexico Publish Peer Reviews of Fossil Fuel Subsidies Under G-20

November 16, 2017 | Lourdes Sanchez

Germany and Mexico released their voluntary peer reviews of fossil fuel subsidies under the G-20, during the twenty-third Conference of Parties (COP23) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Ending Coal: From Diplomacy to Implementation

November 16, 2017 | Ivetta Gerasimchuk

Diplomatically, coal power is on the wrong side of history. Spearheaded by Canada, the UK and the Marshall Islands, the Powering Past Coal Alliance has just been launched at the UN climate talks in Bonn.

No New Coal in Java: Indonesia takes a first step at phase-out

October 17, 2017 | Richard Bridle

Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Ignasius Jonan recently announced that there would be no new coal plants in Java. The announcement heralds, at last, a step away from the coal-dominated future that had been proposed. Why has this decision been taken? And how should Indonesia seek to power its economy with coal now taken off the menu?

Country Reviews of Fossil Fuel Subsidies: Guiding countries through the process

October 5, 2017 | Ivetta Gerasimchuk

Self- and peer reviews of government support to oil, gas and coal are a first step and practical tool for phasing out wasteful fossil fuel subsidies (FFS). The G7, G20, European Union and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) governments have all committed “to rationalize inefficient FFS that encourage wasteful consumption.” But how can we support them?

Blog: From Paris to Lofoten and Back: A Call for a Managed Decline of the Fossil-Fuel Industry

September 19, 2017 | Ivetta Gerasimchuk

Two events this September set a new bar for climate change leadership. First, over 340 non-governmental organisations from 67 countries signed the Lofoten Declaration. This document calls for an end to exploration and expansion of new oil, gas and coal reserves, a managed decline of the oil, coal, and gas industry, and a just transition to a safer climate future.

Health Organizations, Help Indonesia Kick the Coal Habit

September 18, 2017 | Erica Petrofsky

Indonesians’ lungs have been exposed to significant pollution in the past few years, from forest fire haze to increasing amounts of motor vehicle exhaust. A study looking at the greater Jakarta area attributed 3,700 premature deaths per year to air pollution from 2012 to 2015. The national and regional governments of Indonesia are trying to tackle some of these issues through, for example, banning land clearance by burning and improving public transit. But there’s one area, power generation, where current government policies are on course to make Indonesia’s air pollution worse.

How Indonesia Might Turn Its Back on a Future of Cheaper Renewable Electricity

August 9, 2017 | Lourdes Sanchez

Short-term gain can lead to long-term pain. This might be the case with Indonesia’s recent decision to bet on coal as its preferred source to supply reliable and affordable electricity. Indonesia’s decision comes at a time when the rest of the world is moving in the opposite direction: countries are increasingly switching from coal to renewables and encouraging competition between power generators to obtain the best prices.

Blog: Bagaimana Menuju Masa Depan Listrik EBT Yang Lebih Murah di Indonesia

August 9, 2017 | Lourdes Sanchez , Iqbal Akbar

Keuntungan jangka pendek dapat menciptakan dampak buruk jangka panjang. Hal ini relevan sehubungan keputusan Indonesia baru-baru ini untuk bertaruh pada batubara sebagai pilihan untuk memasok listrik yang andal dan terjangkau.

Can Trade Help Deliver the Paris Agreement? Lessons learned from the G20

July 19, 2017 | Peter Wooders

This year’s G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, saw long and heated discussion on the urgency of delivering the Paris Agreement.

From C20 to the G20: What we need on carbon pricing and fossil fuel subsidy reform

July 7, 2017 | Vibhuti Garg

IISD’s Global Subsidies Initiative presented at a side event on June 18 at the C20 Summit, a gathering that facilitated exchanges among civil society from G20 countries on the upcoming G20 Summit agenda and beyond.

Making the International Trade System Work for Climate Change: Five Ways to Address Fossil Fuel Subsidies through the WTO and International Trade Agreements

June 20, 2017 | Peter Wooders , Cleo Verkuijl

Can the international trade system be a catalyst for reforming fossil fuel subsidies (FFSs) to help relieve the burden on the public purse, reduce local and global air pollution, improve energy security and tackle climate change?

The True Cost of Coal and Renewables in Indonesia

June 13, 2017 | Richard Bridle

Indonesia is facing an energy crunch as demand for electricity rises across the country. The country is one of the world’s largest coal producers, and is developing plans for an additional 35 gigawatts (GW) of new coal-fired power stations. Proponents of the development claim that coal is the cheapest source of energy available.

Talking Gender and Energy Sector Reform at the Vienna Energy Forum

May 31, 2017 | Lucy Kitson

IISD’s Global Subsidies Initiative presented at a side event on May 9 to the Vienna Energy Forum organized by ENERGIA, the International Network on Gender and Sustainable Energy and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.

G20 must support good jobs in the low carbon transition

May 23, 2017 | Ivetta Gerasimchuk , Anabella Rosemberg

Donald Trump won the US presidency railing against “job-killing regulation” and promising to put coal miners back to work. Delivering against this promise is proving difficult: US high-cost coal is crowded out not just by increasingly low-cost renewables, but also by shale gas and lower-cost coal from other countries.

Blog: Change Makers Leap Forward as Momentum for Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform Grows

April 28, 2017 | Lourdes Sanchez

There is a pressing “need for faster reform, urgency and political commitment.”[1] These were the opening highlights of the fifth high-level event on fossil fuel subsidy reform, organized by the Friends of Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform (“Friends”), Global Subsidies Initiative and the World Bank on April 21, in the context of the 2017 International Monetary Fund and World Bank Spring Meetings held in Washington, D.C.

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