Become a “policy-maker” with interactive subsidy map
If countries abolished financial support for coal, oil and gas, they could invest in new infratructures. An interactive MCC map illustrates just how much could be achieved.
Users of the MCC Subsidy Map can determine by themselves what proportion of the current subsidies for fossil fuels should be phased out. Afterwards, they can define the rates of access to water, electricity, telecommunications and sanitary facilities that shall be achieved. The map then shows, in red, yellow and green shading, to what extent the freed up financial resources can provide the access target set by the user.
The map is especially relevant with regards to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. The SDGs include, among other things, access to energy, water and sanitation. They could be decisively pushed forward by abolishing subsidies for fossil fuels. At the same time, cutting fossil-fuel subsidies would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and constitute a first step towards ambitious climate policies.
“Access to basic infrastructure is the foundation for combating poverty, a main objective of the SDGs,” says Michael Jakob, Coordinator of the MCC Task Force Public Economics. “By means of the MCC interactive map, the user can slip into the role of the political decision-makers, and make a value judgement which infrastructure has priority for them. Because even though a lot can be achieved in many countries with the phase-out of the subsidies, access to all infrastructures can by no means be guaranteed in all of them.”
The map user can achieve a relatively strong effect with comparatively modest subsidy reforms in South Asia and some states of sub-Saharan Africa. Countries such as the Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe and Nigeria, as well as Indonesia and India, have particularly high subsidies for fossil fuels and at the same time a high need for infrastructure development. For example, Nigeria would have to use only four percent of its subsidies for 15 years in order to supply water to the 40 percent of its population who currently have no access to it. In India, for instance, the 370 million people who still lack access to electricity could have it if the country would redirect only six percent of its subsidies.
“The developing and emerging countries play a key role in the future mitigation of carbon emissions. At the same time, public finances are in such a poor condition in many of these states that urgently needed investments into the infrastructure can hardly be made,” says MCC Director Ottmar Edenhofer. “A fossil fuel subsidy reform appears to be required as it regards both environmental and social policies as well as economics. New coalitions should be forged in order to overcome the respective national political obstacles.”
The interactive map is based on calculations of the MCC, which were published in the article “Development incentives for fossil fuel subsidy reform” in the scientific journal Nature Climate Change. It was written by the MCC scientists Michael Jakob, Claudine Chen, Sabine Fuss, Annika Marxen and Ottmar Edenhofer.
For their calculations the authors used data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), the World Bank, as well as numerous studies on infrastructure costs.
In the interactive MCC map, only direct financial support for the consumption of fossil fuels is considered as a subsidy. It is derived from the difference between the world market price and the respective national selling price. Tax reductions as well as the social costs of using fossil fuels (e.g., air pollution) are not included in the data.
Kuwa "mfanyabiashara-sera" na ramani ya ruzuku ya maingiliano Ikiwa nchi zingeondoa msaada wa kifedha kwa makaa ya mawe, mafuta na gesi, wangeweza kuwekeza katika miundombinu mpya. Ramani ya MCC inayoingiliana inaonyesha tu kiasi gani kinaweza kupatikana. Watumiaji wa ramani ya MCC wanaweza kuamua wenyewe ni kiasi gani cha ruzuku ya sasa kwa mafuta ya mafuta inapaswa kuondolewa. Baadaye, wanaweza kufafanua viwango vya upatikanaji wa maji, umeme, mawasiliano ya simu na vifaa vya usafi ambavyo vinapaswa kupatikana. Ramani inaonyesha, katika rangi nyekundu, manjano na kijani, kwa kiasi gani rasilimali za kifedha zilizofunguliwa zinaweza kutoa lengo la upatikanaji lililowekwa na mtumiaji. Ramani hiyo inahusiana hasa na Malengo ya Maendeleo Endelevu (SDGs) ya Umoja wa Mataifa. Lengo la maendeleo endelevu ni pamoja na kupata nishati, maji na usafi wa mazingira. Zingeweza kusukumwa mbele kwa kuondoa ruzuku kwa mafuta ya visukuku. Wakati huo huo, kupunguza ruzuku ya mafuta ya mafuta ingepunguza uzalishaji wa gesi za chafu na ni hatua ya kwanza kuelekea sera za hali ya hewa za tamaa. "Upatikanaji wa miundombinu ya msingi ni msingi wa kupambana na umaskini, lengo kuu la SDGs, ""anasema Michael Jakob, Mratibu wa MCC Task Force ya Uchumi wa Umma." <unk>Kwa njia ya ramani ya maingiliano ya MCC, mtumiaji anaweza kuingia katika jukumu la watendaji wa maamuzi ya kisiasa, na kufanya uamuzi wa thamani ambayo miundombinu ina kipaumbele kwao. "Kwa sababu hata ingawa mengi yanaweza kupatikana katika nchi nyingi na hatua ya kuondoa ruzuku, upatikanaji wa miundombinu yote hauwezi kuhakikisha katika nchi zote. ""Mtumiaji wa ramani anaweza kufikia athari kubwa kwa marekebisho ya ruzuku ya kiasi katika Asia Kusini na baadhi ya nchi za Afrika Kusini mwa Sahara." Nchi kama vile Jamhuri ya Kongo, Zimbabwe na Nigeria, pamoja na Indonesia na India, zina ruzuku kubwa kwa mafuta ya mafuta na wakati huo huo mahitaji makubwa ya maendeleo ya miundombinu. Kwa mfano, Nigeria inapaswa kutumia asilimia nne tu ya ruzuku yake kwa miaka 15 ili kuandaa maji kwa asilimia 40 ya wakazi wake ambao kwa sasa hawana upatikanaji wa maji. "Hata hivyo, India ina watu milioni 370 ambao bado hawana umeme, na wanaweza kupata umeme kama nchi hiyo itabadilisha asilimia sita tu ya ruzuku yake.""" <unk>Nchi zinazoendelea na zinazoibuka zina jukumu muhimu katika kupunguza uzalishaji wa kaboni katika siku zijazo. "Wakati huo huo, fedha za umma ziko katika hali mbaya sana katika majimbo mengi ya nchi hizo kwamba uwekezaji unaohitajika haraka katika miundombinu hauwezi kufanywa, ""Mkurugenzi wa MCC Ottmar Edenhofer anasema." <unk>Mageuzi ya ruzuku ya mafuta ya mafuta yanaonekana kuhitajika kwa sababu inahusu sera za mazingira na kijamii na pia uchumi. "Map ya maingiliano yanategemea hesabu za MCC, ambazo zilichapishwa katika makala ""Mavutano ya Maendeleo kwa Marekebisho ya Msaada wa Mafuta ya Fosili"" katika jarida la kisayansi la Nature Climate Change." Mfumo huo umesimamishwa na wanasayansi Michael Jakob, Claudine Chen, Sabine Fuss, Annika Marxsen na Ottmar Edenhofer. Kwa mahesabu yao, waandishi walitumia data kutoka Shirika la Kimataifa la Nishati (IEA), Benki ya Dunia, na pia masomo mengi juu ya gharama za miundombinu. Katika ramani ya MCC, msaada wa moja kwa moja wa kifedha kwa matumizi ya mafuta ya mafuta huchukuliwa kama ruzuku. Ni inayotokana na tofauti kati ya bei ya soko la dunia na bei ya kuuza ya kitaifa husika. Kupunguzwa kwa kodi na gharama za kijamii za kutumia mafuta ya visukuku (kwa mfano, uchafuzi wa hewa) hazijumuishwa katika data.