GLOBAL SUBSIDIES INITIATIVE
Subsidy WatchIssue 33, November 2009
Download as PDF: Subsidy Watch, Issue 33, November 2009 (426 KB)
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G-20 leaders announce fossil-fuel subsidy phase-out, though details lacking
The world’s largest economies have agreed to end fossil-fuel subsidies, according to a statement made at the G-20 meeting in Pittsburgh on 25th September 2009. Leaders of the G-20 committed to phasing out the controversial subsidies ‘over the medium-term,’ blaming them for encouraging wasteful consumption and undermining efforts to combat climate change.
Also in this issue:
Commentary
News
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Iran votes ‘yes’ to subsidy reform in concern over sanctions
On Sunday 18th October, the Iranian government passed a bill that would cut energy subsidies, claiming that this would be necessary to make Iran less vulnerable to international sanctions. This is not the first time Iran has tried to reform its fossil-fuel subsidies, with previous attempts ending in failure after public protest. It remains to be seen whether the appeal to ‘national security’ will be able to sweeten a previously bitter pill.
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Dark clouds on the horizon for German solar subsidies
According to the Associated Press, an energy expert with Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats, Michel Fuchs, has announced that the next German government will consider reducing subsidies to solar energy producers, perhaps as early as 2010.
Apparently, the most successful technologies are those which will see the greatest reduction in support. The criteria for ‘success’ are not yet clear, but will include instances where technology development has led to price reductions.
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Canadian flex-fuel subsidy does not serve environment, government briefing note concludes
A government briefing note recently accessed under freedom-of-information law concludes that Canada’s flex-fuel subsidization scheme is not in the interest of the environment.
Studies
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The Cato Institute’s ‘Downsizing the federal government’
The Cato Institute has launched a new website, ‘downsizing the federal government’. Its purpose is to help US policymakers and citizens understand where federal funds are being spent and how they could be reformed to reduce the budget deficit.
Currently completed sections include agriculture and energy, both of which have clear overviews of government spending and suggestions for how subsidies could be cut.
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Global Trade Alert website launched
On 3rd September, the Global Trade Alert (GTA) website was launched in Brussels – set up to monitor government spending in the economic downturn and how it may discriminate against foreign commerce.
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Farmsubsidy.org the film
On 14th October, farmsubsidy.org posted the launch of Fields of Gold: Lifting the Veil on Europe’s Farm Subsidies.
The 20-minute film tells the story of the successful campaign that brought together journalists, NGOs and computer programmers in the struggle for increased transparency about European farm subsidies.
www.globalsubsidies.org
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- info [at] globalsubsidies [dot] org
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- +41 22 917 88 48
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- +41 22 917 80 54
9, Chemin de Balexert, office 5-53
1219 Châtelaine, Geneva
Switzerland
Getting the message across: interviews with Curt Ellis and Anja von Moltke on communicating about subsidies
A few weeks ago, UNEP held the first screening of its new film about subsidies in the fisheries sector, Caught Out: The Way Forward for Fisheries Subsidies. Subsidy Watch took this opportunity to think about the challenge of communicating about subsidies. Here, we speak with Anja von Moltke, who commissioned and supervised the production of UNEP’s film, and Curt Ellis, co-creator of the 2007 hit documentary King Corn, which highlighted the role of subsidies in United States agriculture.
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