Eliminating fossil fuel subsidies
Increased fiscal pressures and net-zero carbon pledges should pave the way to permanently phase out subsidies
Subsidies are intended to stimulate production and demand for fossil fuels. But in times of deficit, when budgets can hardly accommodate essential health expenditure, it is difficult to justify their use. And fossil fuel markets demonstrate they can survive on their own. Why, indeed, would society want to direct scarce resources towards fossil fuel subsidies? Mainly because industry lobbyists and consumer advocates are working hard to convince lawmakers to do so. It is imperative that society understands their detrimental effect on both markets and the economy, and importantly how much subsidies actually cost. When prices were low and fuel subsidies for consumers could not be justified, most

Also in this section
11 August 2025
The administration is pushing for deregulation and streamline permitting for natural gas, while tightening requirements and stripping away subsidies from renewables
8 August 2025
The producers’ group missed its output increase target for the month and may soon face a critical test of its strategy
7 August 2025
The quick, unified and decisive strategy to return all the barrels from the hefty tranche of cuts from the eight producers involved in voluntary curbs signals a shift and sets the tone for the path ahead
7 August 2025
Without US backing, the EU’s newest sanctions package against Russia—though not painless—is unlikely to have a significant impact on the country’s oil and gas revenues or its broader economy