As we approach the Global Climate Action Summit, hosted by Governor Brown later this year, now would be a fantastic moment for the Brown-Newsom administration to announce new steps to limit fossil fuel extraction in the state writ large. The case for a managed phase out of fossil fuel production in California is clear, they simply need to read their own letter released today.
Day: February 7, 2018
New study shows axing fossil fuel subsidies can deliver big climate benefits (but press release says the opposite)
A study published today, by a group led by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), indicates that eliminating fossil fuel subsidies could curb global greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 5% through 2030 while saving hundreds of billions of dollars in public money. Despite this seemingly good news, the framing of the study was strangely downbeat, casting these reductions as “only a small effect on CO2 emissions.” What we know from reading the actual findings of this study, as well as several other analyses of the climate impacts of fossil fuel subsidy removal, is that nixing oil, gas, and coal subsidies would be a big win for the climate, would saves money, and could free up resources to help the poorest and most vulnerable.