We Must do More to Speed up Ending Fossil Fuel Subsidies

By Niklas HagelbergNAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 5 2019 (IPS) Fossil fuels—oil, gas, coal and their derivatives—pollute the atmosphere and emit the greenhouse gases that are ramping up global heating to dangerous levels. But did you know that governments around the world are subsidizing this pollution? Historically, governments around the world have used fossil fuel subsidies for a variety of reasons, including to promote energy independence, encourage industry and cushion the poorest in society. But they never took sufficient account of what economists call “externalities” such as air pollution and the resulting impacts on our health. There is a special kind of madness in a system that funds the healthcare burden from asthma, respiratory diseases and lung cancer, and at the same time funds companies that pollute the air and contribute towards these health issues in the first place. Niklas HagelbergOrdinary people pay the price three times over—taxes for healthcare, taxes to support fossil fuel subsidies, and then the ultimate price of compromises to their health. Air pollution claims the lives of one in nine every year and is the single biggest health risk facing people across the world. Fossil fuel subsidies often fail to benefit targeted groups and are a significant drain on national budgets. Global fossil fuel subsidies cost taxpayers about US$400 billion. Imagine if these public resources were directed to finance sustainable development, clean energy and climate act...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Climate Change Development & Aid Editors' Choice Environment Featured Global Global Governance Headlines Health IPS UN: Inside the Glasshouse Population Poverty & SDGs Sustainability TerraViva United Nations Source Type: news