Fossil Fuel Subsidies and Climate Change: National action and international phase out
Venue: UNFCCC COP21, Observer Room 2, Blue Zone, Le Bourget, Paris.
Date and Time: Monday, December 7, 11:30—13:00.
Globally, governments spend more than US$ 500 billion annually to keep domestic prices for oil, gas and coal products artificially low. Fossil fuel subsidies increase carbon emissions and lock us into a high carbon future. Now is the time for their removal.
This side event organized by the GSI and the Friends of Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform puts the spotlight on:
- The scale and nature of subsidies to fossil fuels;
- Country efforts to reform subsidies;
- Inclusion of subsidy reform within country INDCs and implications for emissions reductions;
- The growing momentum behind the international Communiqué to phase out fossil fuel subsidies.
Speakers include:
- Fatih Birol, Executive Director, International Energy Agency
- Felipe Calderón, former President of México and Chair of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, New Climate Economy
- Scott Vaughan, President, International Institute for Sustainable Development
- Hakima El Haite, Minister for Energy, Mining, Water and Environment, Morocco
- Tim Groser, Minister for International Climate Change Negotiations, New Zealand
- Ibrahim Baylan, Minister for Energy, Sweden
- Kimmo Tiilikainen, Minister of Agriculture and the Environment, Finland
- Børge Brende, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Norway
Information: Lasse Toft Christensen ltchristensen@iisd.org and Laura Merrill lmerrill@iisd.org.
Support the Communiqué
Read Tackling Fossil Fuel Subsidies and Climate Change: Levelling the energy playing field
Watch Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform and the Road to Paris