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Workshop Highlights Challenges in Redirecting Public Finance from Fossil Fuels to Sustainable Development

Jakob Skovgaard and Evan Drake, photo.
Associate Professor Jakob Skovgaard och doctoral student Evan Drake at the Department of Political Science, Lund University.

In November 2023, Jakob Skovgaard, Evan Drake, and experts from the University of Cambridge and the International Institute for Sustainable Development organised a workshop in Paris titled 'Strengthening International Commitments to Shift Public Financial Flows Away from Fossil Fuels'. The workshop explored the complex issue of moving government money from supporting fossil fuels—like oil, coal, and gas—towards initiatives that foster sustainable development.

Despite international commitments within frameworks like the UN and the Group of Twenty, the challenge remains daunting. In 2022, fossil fuel subsidies astonishingly doubled to $1.5 trillion, funding activities from coal mining to reducing petrol prices.  in 2022. The workshop underscored the difficulties of phasing out such finance in the face of public opposition, as well as the limitations of existing international pledges to cut these subsidies, pointing out the need for more precise commitments that include clear roadmaps and leave no room for loopholes.

The insights gained have been summarized in a blog post on the Green Fiscal Policy Network website: https://greenfiscalpolicy.org/blog/strengthening_commitments_lessons/


Jakob Skovgaard’s personal page

Evan Drake’s personal page