Our Issue Experts
Christopher Beaton
Senior Policy Advisor GSI and Lead, India Program
Christopher Beaton is a Senior Policy Advisor with GSI and Lead for the India Program.
His research role spans various projects within IISD’s trade and climate change portfolio. He conducts and manages research for projects in IISD’s Global Subsidies Initiative (GSI), including co-authoring, coordinating and editing its 2013 flagship publication A Guidebook to Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Reform; managing research to project the impacts of subsidy reform in India, Indonesia and Thailand; and managing the GSI’s country work program on fossil-fuel subsidies in Indonesia. Christopher also conducts research for IISD’s work streams on global environmental governance and the green economy, contributing recently to the publication The Future of Sustainable Development: Rethinking sustainable development after Rio+20 and implications for UNEP, and taking a lead role in researching and drafting the Enabling Conditions chapter of the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Green Economy Report. He has also prepared research on green taxation in cooperation with the China National Renewable Energy Centre (CNREC), policy briefs on renewable energy for the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and a state of play of global initiatives to take forward international commitments to Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP). Christopher’s communications role is focused on supporting the IISD’s Global Subsidies Initiative (GSI): managing its website, organising events, facilitating dialogues, representing the GSI and developing strategic thinking and interactive media for communicating the GSI’s research and policy recommendations. Recent projects include the development of an educational video with the World Bank Institute’s (WBI) Climate Change Unit, co-organising a meeting of the Network for Fuel Price Regulators in cooperation with the German development agency GIZ and developing an interactive timeline for the GSI website to highlight progress that has been made toward G-20 and APEC commitments to reform fossil-fuel subsidies.
Christopher has also combined his interest in policy research and communications through various projects investigating the linkages that exist between the major economic structural change that is needed to achieve sustainable development and the communications challenges that this creates for governments, both in developing transition strategies and implementing policy change.
-
Getting on Target: Accelerating energy access through fossil fuel subsidy reformHow can reforming fossil fuel subsidies accelerate universal energy access (SDG 7)? This paper reviews the financial and practical implications of fossil fuel subsidies for SDG 7. -
India's Energy Transition: Mapping subsidies to fossil fuels and clean energy in IndiaThis report maps out the context, magnitude, trends and impacts of India’s energy subsidies. It aims to enhance transparency and dialogue on energy choices in India and to help track shifts in government support from fossil fuels to renewables. -
Chapter 4, Indonesia: Pricing Reforms, Social Assistance, and the Importance of Perceptions, The Political Economy of Energy Subsidy Reform This World Bank book, edited by by Gabriela Inchauste and David G. Victor, brings together detailed chapters on the political economy of subsidy... -
Compensation Mechanisms for Fuel Subsidy Removal in NigeriaThis study conducts a detailed analysis of the compensation mechanisms that could be used to mitigate the impact of fuel subsidy removal on weak and vulnerable segments of Nigerian society. -
Gender and Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform: Current status of researchLittle is known about the gender differentiated impacts of fossil fuel subsidy reforms. This review takes stock of existing knowledge, identifies knowledge gaps and sets out plans for future research in this area. -
One Fuel, Two Prices: International experiences with dual pricing of fuelThis briefing note sets out some basic information about international experiences with “dual pricing”: selling the same fuel product at two different prices to different types of consumers -
Financing Development With Fossil Fuel Subsidies: The reallocation of Indonesia's gasoline and diesel subsidies in 2015This report investigates how fuel subsidy reform and reallocation in Indonesia have been a major step forward in improving public expenditure. -
Supporting Energy Pricing Reform and Carbon Pricing Policies Through CreditingThis study examines the role that policy crediting might play in increasing the mitigation impact of energy pricing reform and carbon pricing policies. -
Making Subsidy Reform Work for Women in NigeriaKerosene subsidies in Nigeria are inefficient and wasteful—but will kerosene subsidy reform disproportionately affect women, due its primary use as a household lighting and cooking fuel? This policy brief explores principles for making subsidy reform work for women in Nigeria. -
International Experiences With LPG Subsidy Reform This report investigates international experience and best practices on how to reform liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) subsidies, with a focus on countries’ efforts to ensure that energy access is not compromised by higher LPG prices. -
G20 subsidies to oil, gas and coal production: IndonesiaJointly prepared by IISD, OCI and ODI, this country study and accompanying data sheet compiles publicly available information on fossil fuel... -
Assessing the Cost-Effectiveness of Renewable Energy Deployment Subsidies: Onshore wind power in Germany and ChinaThis study reviews deployment subsidies for onshore wind in two countries, Germany and China.Its primary goal is to better inform debates about... -
Assessing the Cost-Effectiveness of Renewable Energy Deployment Subsidies: Solar PV in Germany and SpainThis study reviews deployment subsidies for solar PV in two European countries, Germany and Spain. It forms one of a series of three looking at the cost-effectiveness of renewable energy deployment subsidies, each one focusing on different technologies and countries. -
Assessing the Cost-Effectiveness of Renewable Energy Deployment Subsidies: Biomass power in the United Kingdom and GermanyThis study reviews deployment subsidies for biomass power in two European countries, Germany and the United Kingdom.Its primary goal is to better... -
Green Revenues for Green Energy: Environmental fiscal reform for renewable energy technology deployment in ChinaChina's economy continues to grow rapidly with corresponding increases in both energy consumption and environmental pollution.Renewable energy is a... -
A Guidebook to Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Reform for Policy-Makers in Southeast AsiaThere is no one-size-fits-all strategy for fossil-fuel subsidy reform—but there are a set of planning stages that are generic, along with many... -
The Future of Sustainable Development: Rethinking sustainable development after Rio+20 and implications for UNEPThe United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) in June 2012—commonly referred to as Rio+20—left many perplexed. If a number of... -
A Citizens' Guide to Energy Subsidies in NigeriaMost people in Nigeria see fuel subsidies as their share of wealth from the country's oil reserves.However, evidence suggests that the subsidies... -
State of Play on Biofuel Subsidies: Are policies ready to shift?June 19, 2012 - RIO DE JANEIRO - The GSI report State of Play on Biofuel Subsidies: Are policies ready to shift? was launched at a special... -
"SCP at the Global Level" and "SCP at the Regional Level" in Global Outlook on Sustainable Consumption and Production PoliciesThe report Global Outlook on Sustainable Consumption and Production [SCP] Policies, developed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)... -
"Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Reform: Building momentum at Rio and beyond" Side Event SummaryNEW YORK - March 26, 2012 - The Friends of Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform group and the International Institute for Sustainable Development's (IISD's)... -
Renewable Energy Jobs: Status, prospects & policies. Biofuels and Grid-Connected Electricity GenerationThe job-creating potential of renewable energy is analyzed in Renewable Energy Jobs: Status, prospects & policies, a recent IRENA Working Paper... -
International Environmental Governance Reform: Inputs to the African preparatory processOne of the two themes for discussion at Rio+20—the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, to take place in June, 2012—is ... -
A sectoral approach, agreement and mechanism (SAAM) for the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions in Japan's iron and steel industryThis report outlines a sectoral approach, agreement and mechanism (SAAM) for the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions in Japan's iron and steel... -
Towards a Green Economy: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication - Enabling Conditions Supporting the Transition to a Global Green EconomyUnited Nations Environment Programme's Green Economy Initiative, in collaboration with economists and experts worldwide, compiled the book: ... -
Lessons Learned from Indonesia's Attempts to Reform Fossil-Fuel SubsidiesThis report, prepared by Christopher Beaton and Lucky Lontoh, examines Indonesia's attempts to reform fossil-fuel subsidies.It reviews the history... -
Strategies for Reforming Fossil-Fuel Subsidies: Practical lessons from Ghana, France and SenegalThis paper analyzes the experiences of countries that have undertaken reform of their fossil-fuel subsidies and establishes what lessons can be... -
Biofuels: At What Cost? Government support for ethanol and biodiesel in SwitzerlandReport on government support for biofuels in Switzerland by the Global Subsidies Initiative of IISD.
Education
Master of Arts in International Relations (2009): John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Bachelor of Arts (Hons) – English Literature (2005): University of Cambridge.