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Christopher Beaton
Lead, Sustainable Energy Consumption
Christopher Beaton is Lead, Sustainable Energy Consumption in IISD's Energy 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.
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Mapping India's Energy Subsidies 2020: Fossil fuels, renewables and electric vehiclesHow have India’s energy subsidy policies changed? What have been the most significant developments in India’s dynamic energy policy environment? And is public support aligned with India’s desired energy future? -
Gender and Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform in Nigeria: Findings and recommendations The report examines from a gender perspective the impact of kerosene subsidies and their reform in Nigeria, finding that kerosene subsidies did not work for poor women. -
Gender and Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform in Bangladesh: Findings and recommendationsThe report examines from a gender perspective the impact of kerosene subsidies and their reform in Bangladesh. The report advocates that kerosene subsidy reform needs to be handled with care. -
How to Target Electricity and LPG Subsidies in India: Step 1. Identifying Policy Options This report identifies knowledge gaps that are limiting policy making for better targeting of energy access subsidies in India. It identifies a number of targeting interventions that could be employed to better target subsidies for electricity and LPG. -
Gender and Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform in India: Findings and recommendationsThe report examines the impacts of India’s subsidies to cooking gas—and their reform—from a gender perspective. It explores how liquified petroleum gas (LPG) subsidy policies and their reform affect women and girls in low-income households. -
Mapping Policy for Solar Irrigation Across the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus in India How are India's off-grid solar pump policies affecting the water–energy–food nexus? This paper maps out impacts and the key policies that are driving them. -
G20 Coal Subsidies: India This country study and accompanying data sheet compile publicly available information on G20 subsidies to the production and consumption of coal (including coal-fired power) in India in 2016 and 2017. -
G20 Coal Subsidies: Tracking government support to a fading industry This research tracks each G20 country’s progress in phasing out subsidies to the production and consumption of coal (including coal-fired power), looking at fiscal support, public finance and state-owned enterprise investment. -
Policy Approaches for a Kerosene to Solar Subsidy Swap in India India could save money and reduce indoor air pollution by switching kerosene subsidies to solar. -
India's Energy Transition: Stranded coal power assets, workers and energy subsidiesWhat is driving stressed coal power assets in India, and how do we ensure workers, not assets, are the focus of government interventions in the future? -
Is GST stalling India's clean energy transition?Is a newly introduced Goods and Sales Tax stalling India's move away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy? -
India's Energy Transition: The Impact of the Goods and Services Tax on Solar Photovoltaic and Coal Power Costs One of the biggest changes in India's energy subsidy policy in FY18 was the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). How did this affect subsidies and costs for coal power and solar PV? -
Gender and Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform: Findings from and recommendations for Bangladesh, India and NigeriaThis report looks at the impact of subsidies to kerosene and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and subsidy reform from a gender perspective across three countries: Bangladesh, India and Nigeria. -
India's Energy Transition: Subsidies for Fossil Fuels and Renewable Energy, 2018 Update How have India’s energy subsidy policies changed since 2016? Have they become more or less aligned with India’s desired energy future? How have India’s energy subsidy policies changed since 2016? Have they become more or less aligned with India’s desired energy future? -
Improving and Refocusing Electricity Subsidies: Options for optimization in MexicoIISD is proud to partner with CONECC German-Mexican Energy Partnership on this report which identifies and evaluates options for reforming Mexico’s electricity subsidies. -
Stories from G20 Countries: Shifting public money out of fossil fuelsThis analysis has brought together examples illustrating how G20 countries can learn from each other and align the flows of public money with climate targets and the Sustainable Development Goals. -
Support for Clean Cooking in India: Tracking the latest developments in LPG subsidiesAn in-depth look at recent developments in India's subsidies for household cooking gas. -
Economic Instruments to Leverage Clean Energy Investment There is widespread recognition that the bulk of the investment needed to meet the Paris... -
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... -
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... -
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... -
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... -
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... -
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... -
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... -
A Citizens' Guide to Energy Subsidies in NigeriaMost people in Nigeria see fuel subsidies as their share of wealth from the country's oil... -
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... -
"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... -
"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... -
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,... -
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... -
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... -
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... -
Lessons Learned from Indonesia's Attempts to Reform Fossil-Fuel SubsidiesThis report, prepared by Christopher Beaton and Lucky Lontoh, examines Indonesia's attempts to... -
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... -
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.
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