Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform, Political Settlements, and Societal Unrest: Implications for the Green Transition (with Newman).
This project will investigate how climate policies generate societal unrested resistance, and explore how controversies about the social costs of the green transition are shaped by national political systems. As a key example of this, it focuses on the challenge of reducing fossil fuel subsidies. The subsidies—valued in total at $1.3 trillion globally in 2023—make the price of energy for consumers lower than its true market value. They are harmful to the climate because they encourage energy consumption and hamper the adoption of renewable energy sources. They are also a major fiscal burden, absorbing resources which could be used for other purposes. Moreover, although subsidies provide some social protection, they are not an efficient mechanism to help poor communities because their benefits disproportionately flow to higher income groups.
