Prioritizing Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Reform in the UNFCCC Process: Recommendations for short-term actions

The document advocates for the immediate deployment of fossil-fuel subsidy reform to help UNFCCC Parties meet the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 2°C. It provides five specific recommendations for Parties to advance this reform through the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP), the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA), and the COP 19 ministerial meeting in Warsaw, as well as through the use of Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) and voluntary reporting.

• Fossil-fuel subsidy reform is a ready-to-use measure that can significantly help UNFCCC Parties increase pre-2020 mitigation ambition to keep average temperature increases below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.
• The GSI recommends several concrete actions for UNFCCC Parties to progress reform, including proposing options under Workstream 2 of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP), developing reform as a nationally appropriate mitigation action (NAMA), and requesting the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) to address methodological issues.
• The brief suggests including subsidy reform on the agenda for the COP 19 ministerial meeting in Warsaw to highlight its role in reducing barriers to renewable energy and energy efficiency deployment, and encourages voluntary reporting in national and biennial reports.

APA

Lang,, P. W. B. (2013). Prioritizing Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Reform in the UNFCCC Process: Recommendations for short-term actions. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/prioritizing-fossil-fuel-subsidy-reform-unfccc-process-recommendations-short

Chicago

Lang,, Peter Wooders,Virginia Benninghoff,Kerryn. Prioritizing Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Reform in the UNFCCC Process: Recommendations for short-term actions. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2013. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/prioritizing-fossil-fuel-subsidy-reform-unfccc-process-recommendations-short.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lang, |first1=Peter Wooders,Virginia Benninghoff,Kerryn |title=Prioritizing Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Reform in the UNFCCC Process: Recommendations for short-term actions |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=17 August 2013 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/prioritizing-fossil-fuel-subsidy-reform-unfccc-process-recommendations-short |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lang2013prioritizing, author = {Lang,, Peter Wooders,Virginia Benninghoff,Kerryn}, title = {{Prioritizing Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Reform in the UNFCCC Process: Recommendations for short-term actions}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2013}, month = aug, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/prioritizing-fossil-fuel-subsidy-reform-unfccc-process-recommendations-short}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }