Resources

Two new papers by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) reveal the results of shadow WTO notifications undertaken on China and India’s domestic subsidy policies. India’s first official notification for green box support amounted to US$ 2 billion.

The Global Subsidies Initiative—the producers of this newsletter—published a report in September on subsidies to biodiesel in Malaysia, one of a number of country studies that document and analyze government intervention in the biofuel market.

Taxpayers in the United States are subsidizing the salaries of country's top business executives to the tune of US$ 20 billion a year, according to a report by the Washington-based Institute for Policy Studies (IPS). The report "Executive Excess 2008: How Average Taxpayers Subsidize Runaway Pay," presents the result of IPS' 15th Annual CEO Compensation Survey, which highlights five major tax and accounting loopholes it argued were directing taxpayer dollars to fund excessive executive pay.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has called on governments to reform subsidies to fossil fuels as a means to lower greenhouse gas emissions. The report, “Reforming Energy Subsidies: Opportunities to Contribute to the Climate Change Agenda”, provides an overview of the studies that have attempted to quantify the size of energy subsidies, before reviewing the economic, social and environmental impacts that have been linked to their use.

Norman Myers, an environmental scientist, is the author of the book Perverse Subsidies: Tax $s Undercutting our Economies and Environments Alike. He is currently completing a new book called How Institutions Block Our Road to Sustainability. He also serves as a member of the High-Level Advisory Group of the Global Subsidies Initiative. The GSI reached Mr. Myers at his home in Oxford, England.

Trevor Morgan is the principal author of the UNEP report released last month on energy subsidies and climate change, titled “Reforming Energy Subsidies: Opportunities to Contribute to the Climate Change Agenda”. He recently re-joined the International Energy Agency (IEA), having previously founded the independent energy-consulting firm, Menecon Consulting. The GSI reached Mr. Morgan at his office in Paris.

A study released by the Rand Corporation, a nonprofit think-tank, argues that it would be better for the United States to meet a 25% renewable energy standard by adopting a tax on fossil-fuels rather than providing subsidies for renewable energies. The study, “Impacts on U.S. Energy Expenditures and Greenhouse-Gas Emissions of Increasing Renewable-Energy Use”, compared a tax on fossil fuels, subsidies for renewable energies, and a revenue-neutral tax-and-subsidy mechanism.

Hydrogen vehicles will not become competitive without massive public and private investment over the next 15 years, according to a report by the U.S. National Research Council (NRC). The NRC, an independent committee of American scientists, estimates that the U.S. government would have to invest US$ 55 billion between 2008 and 2023 in order to boost technology and infrastructure to a level where hydrogen vehicles would be commercially competitive.

The nuclear power industry in the United States has relied on government intervention and support for over fifty years, raising critical questions. Is this the best use of public funds to promote sustainable energy production?