G20 Coal Subsidies: Tracking government support to a fading industry
Key Messages
- G20 countries have a critical role to play in leading efforts to combat climate change, as they account for 79 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. In 2009, they committed to phasing out fossil fuel subsidies in the medium term, and since then many have played an important role in driving forward climate action internationally.
- A decade on from this commitment, G20 governments continue to provide billions of dollars of support for the production and consumption of fossil fuels, spending at least USD 63.9 billion per year on coal alone, the most polluting fossil fuel. They have also neglected to define or document the full extent of their subsidies.
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. The report summarizes key findings from 18 parallel country briefs, with accompanying data sheets that list all the support identified for each country.
You might also be interested in
Switching Fossil Fuel Subsidies in Indonesia to Support a Green Recovery
This brief looks at how Indonesia can start actively promoting renewable energy by removing the existing hurdles to its deployment—such as unattractive renewable energy feed-in tariffs and land and infrastructures barriers—and switching public support from fossil fuels to renewables to meet the country’s clean energy targets.
Indonesia's fiscal support for fossil fuels too large: IISD
The Indonesian government's fiscal support for fossil fuels is still too large, so it has the potential to slow down the energy transition and drain the public budget, according to the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).
India must colour coal cash green for mining hubs to survive
Every year in October, cash registers ring in shops dotting east India's mining hubs during the Hindu festival season of Dussehra, when the country's biggest coal company, Coal India Ltd., hands its workers a bonus.
India's taxes and subsidies threaten clean energy growth in the country
After a slowdown during the first two years of the covid-19 pandemic, India’s renewable energy sector seems to be bouncing back in terms of investments. But recent studies raise doubts about the overall pace of the sector’s growth with finance emerging as a major impediment.