Renewable Energy Subsidies & Fossil Fuel Phase-Out

This report reviews the decline of coal mining in South Wales in the United Kingdom.

A new report from the Nordic Council of Ministers finds that redirecting fossil fuel subsidies toward the clean energy transition could help climate vulnerable countries reap major savings while slashing greenhouse gas emissions.

Removal of consumer subsidies can lead to carbon emission reductions (6 to 8 per cent by 2050 globally), Reductions that can be improved further with a switch or a "SWAP" towards sustainable energy. This report describes the scale and impact of fossil fuel subsidies on sustainable development. It describes the SWAP concept to switch savings made from fossil fuel subsidy reform, towards sustainable energy, energy efficiency and safety nets. The report provides potential SWAP outlines for Bangladesh, Indonesia, Morocco and Zambia. "Making the Switch" was written for the Nordic Council Ministers by the Global Subsidies Initiative of IISD and Gaia Consulting.

As part of its work on energy policy and sustainable development in Indonesia, the Global Subsidies Initiative publishes a regular briefing on issues related to energy subsidies.

Common problems often require common solutions and the need for a dialogue. This is true in the case of China and India when it comes to tackling air pollution and switching to clean energy. Poor air quality has become a major political concern in both countries.

​The absence of a road initiated a journey to a remote village located in a forest in Odisha, India. The village, Sarda Gram Panchayat, is actually a cluster of five villages and is located in a dense forest near the Sambalpur District of Odisha. The remoteness of the villages has severed ties to development work—energy access, education, health facilities and other services all have hit a roadblock.

Since the end of 2015, the Buhari government has introduced major reforms to gasoline and kerosene subsidies, with a new “price modulation” policy that has seen upward adjustments in the price of both fuels—at the same time that major problems with supply continue, driving domestic prices above official levels in many areas. This 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. The study suggests actionable proposals that the government could pursue if it decides that it must mitigate the social impact of ongoing future price increases as well as pro-poor policies in which the government could invest as part of its general budgeting, given the fiscal space created by subsidy reforms.