IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/eneeco/v126y2023ics0140988323004784.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The environmental impact of fossil fuel subsidy policies

Author

Listed:
  • Arzaghi, Mohammad
  • Squalli, Jay

Abstract

The environmental impact of fuel subsidy policies is an important but understudied issue. This paper makes use of country-level panel data of 139 countries from 1998 to 2015 and the STIRPAT model to investigate the relationship between fuel subsidy policies and environmental emissions. Our estimations indicate that high fossil fuel subsidies are associated with greater greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We find that countries pursuing high-subsidy policies emit approximately 11.4% more GHG emissions than those pursuing high-tax policies. In the unlikely event that crude oil prices would remain at around $120 per barrel and all countries pursuing high-subsidy policies would switch to high-tax policies, we project that global GHG emissions could decline by about 1.28%. We find that while fuel subsidy reform can help reduce global GHG emissions and tackle climate change by improving fuel efficiency, it is far from being a silver bullet and, as a result, only represents a small tool to be used among others to achieve emission reduction goals.

Suggested Citation

  • Arzaghi, Mohammad & Squalli, Jay, 2023. "The environmental impact of fossil fuel subsidy policies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:126:y:2023:i:c:s0140988323004784
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eneco.2023.106980
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140988323004784
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.eneco.2023.106980?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. repec:cii:cepiie:2014-q4-140-50 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Shi, Anqing, 2003. "The impact of population pressure on global carbon dioxide emissions, 1975-1996: evidence from pooled cross-country data," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 29-42, February.
    3. Ian W.H. Parry & Mr. Simon Black & Nate Vernon, 2021. "Still Not Getting Energy Prices Right: A Global and Country Update of Fossil Fuel Subsidies," IMF Working Papers 2021/236, International Monetary Fund.
    4. Carmel Price & Ben Feldmeyer, 2012. "The Environmental Impact of Immigration: An Analysis of the Effects of Immigrant Concentration on Air Pollution Levels," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 31(1), pages 119-140, February.
    5. Lin, Boqiang & Jiang, Zhujun, 2011. "Estimates of energy subsidies in China and impact of energy subsidy reform," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 273-283, March.
    6. Jeffrey M Wooldridge, 2010. "Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 2, volume 1, number 0262232588, December.
    7. York, Richard & Rosa, Eugene A. & Dietz, Thomas, 2003. "STIRPAT, IPAT and ImPACT: analytic tools for unpacking the driving forces of environmental impacts," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(3), pages 351-365, October.
    8. Jessica Jewell & David McCollum & Johannes Emmerling & Christoph Bertram & David E. H. J. Gernaat & Volker Krey & Leonidas Paroussos & Loïc Berger & Kostas Fragkiadakis & Ilkka Keppo & Nawfal Saadi & , 2018. "Limited emission reductions from fuel subsidy removal except in energy-exporting regions," Nature, Nature, vol. 554(7691), pages 229-233, February.
    9. Li, Yingzhu & Shi, Xunpeng & Su, Bin, 2017. "Economic, social and environmental impacts of fuel subsidies: A revisit of Malaysia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 51-61.
    10. James Cramer, 1998. "Population growth and air quality in California," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 35(1), pages 45-56, February.
    11. Jean-Marc Burniaux & Jean Chateau, 2014. "Greenhouse gases mitigation potential and economic efficiency of phasing-out fossil fuel subsidies," International Economics, CEPII research center, issue 140, pages 71-88.
    12. Schwanitz, Valeria Jana & Piontek, Franziska & Bertram, Christoph & Luderer, Gunnar, 2014. "Long-term climate policy implications of phasing out fossil fuel subsidies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 882-894.
    13. Sovacool, Benjamin K., 2017. "Reviewing, Reforming, and Rethinking Global Energy Subsidies: Towards a Political Economy Research Agenda," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 150-163.
    14. Squalli, Jay, 2010. "An empirical assessment of U.S. state-level immigration and environmental emissions," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(5), pages 1170-1175, March.
    15. Gelan, Ayele U., 2018. "Kuwait's energy subsidy reduction: Examining economic and CO2 emission effects with or without compensation," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 186-200.
    16. Matthew A. Cole & Eric Neumayer, 2003. "Examining the Impact of Demographic Factors On Air Pollution," Labor and Demography 0312005, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 13 May 2004.
    17. repec:cii:cepiei:2014-q4-140-5 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Arzaghi, Mohammad & Squalli, Jay, 2015. "How price inelastic is demand for gasoline in fuel-subsidizing economies?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 117-124.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Carmel Price & Ben Feldmeyer, 2012. "The Environmental Impact of Immigration: An Analysis of the Effects of Immigrant Concentration on Air Pollution Levels," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 31(1), pages 119-140, February.
    2. Huijie Yan & Mateo Cordier & Takuro Uehara, 2024. "Future Projections of Global Plastic Pollution: Scenario Analyses and Policy Implications," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-18, January.
    3. Nicole Grunewald & Inmaculada Martínez-Zarzoso, 2009. "Driving Factors of Carbon Dioxide Emissions and the Impact from Kyoto Protocol," CESifo Working Paper Series 2758, CESifo.
    4. Martínez-Zarzoso, Inmaculada & Maruotti, Antonello, 2011. "The impact of urbanization on CO2 emissions: Evidence from developing countries," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(7), pages 1344-1353, May.
    5. Inmaculada Martínez-Zarzoso, 2009. "A General Framework for Estimating CO2 Emissions," Ibero America Institute for Econ. Research (IAI) Discussion Papers 180, Ibero-America Institute for Economic Research.
    6. Hiroki Iwata & Keisuke Okada, 2014. "Greenhouse gas emissions and the role of the Kyoto Protocol," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 16(4), pages 325-342, October.
    7. Rafael Morales-Lage & Aurelia Bengochea-Morancho & Inmaculada Martínez-Zarzoso, 2016. "The determinants of CO2 emissions: evidence from European countries," Working Papers 2016/04, Economics Department, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón (Spain).
    8. Zhang, Chuanguo & Tan, Zheng, 2016. "The relationships between population factors and China's carbon emissions: Does population aging matter?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 1018-1025.
    9. Huijie Yan & Mateo Cordier & Takuro Uehara, 2024. "Future Projections of Global Plastic Pollution: Scenario Analyses and Policy Implications," Post-Print hal-04396682, HAL.
    10. Inmaculada Martínez-Zarzoso & Aurelia Bengochea-Morancho & Rafael Morales-Lage, 2007. "The impact of population on CO 2 emissions: evidence from European countries," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 38(4), pages 497-512, December.
    11. Li, Zhi & Zhao, Qing & Guo, Hong & Huang, Ruting, 2024. "Impact of fossil fuel subsidies on energy-saving technological change in China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 286(C).
    12. Alam, Shaista & Fatima, Ambreen & Butt, Muhammad S., 2007. "Sustainable development in Pakistan in the context of energy consumption demand and environmental degradation," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(5), pages 825-837, October.
    13. Laureti, Tiziana & Montero, José-María & Fernández-Avilés, Gema, 2014. "A local scale analysis on influencing factors of NOx emissions: Evidence from the Community of Madrid, Spain," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 557-568.
    14. Huijie Yan & Mateo Cordier & Takuro Uehara, 2024. "Future Projections of Global Plastic Pollution: Scenario Analyses and Policy Implications," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/371523, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    15. Du, W.C. & Xia, X.H., 2018. "How does urbanization affect GHG emissions? A cross-country panel threshold data analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 229(C), pages 872-883.
    16. Li, Kunming & Fang, Liting & He, Lerong, 2019. "How population and energy price affect China's environmental pollution?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 386-396.
    17. Castells-Quintana, David & Dienesch, Elisa & Krause, Melanie, 2021. "Air pollution in an urban world: A global view on density, cities and emissions," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    18. Squalli, Jay, 2010. "An empirical assessment of U.S. state-level immigration and environmental emissions," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(5), pages 1170-1175, March.
    19. Squalli, Jay, 2017. "Renewable energy, coal as a baseload power source, and greenhouse gas emissions: Evidence from U.S. state-level data," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 479-488.
    20. Antimiani, Alessandro & Costantini, Valeria & Paglialunga, Elena, 2023. "Fossil fuels subsidy removal and the EU carbon neutrality policy," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Fossil fuel subsidies; Greenhouse gas emissions; Fuel subsidy reform;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H20 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - General
    • Q48 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Government Policy
    • Q51 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Valuation of Environmental Effects
    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:126:y:2023:i:c:s0140988323004784. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/eneco .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.