Green Shift to Sustainability: Co-Benefits & Impacts of Energy Transformation on Resource Industries, Trade, Growth and Taxes

The policy brief highlights a paradox where the shift to renewable energy increases total utility and reduces costs but may lead to a decline in traditional economic metrics such as GDP, international trade, and government tax revenue due to the erosion of fossil fuel asset values.

• The transition to 100% renewable energy is viewed as economically inevitable and desirable, but it will lead to the end of fossil fuel extraction and commodity trade, causing fossil asset values to erode.
• New energy systems utilizing efficiency, renewables, storage, and smart management are more cost-effective to build, operate, and maintain than previous systems.
• While total utility will increase and electricity use will drive innovation and value creation, traditional indicators such as GDP, the tax base, and international trade may decrease because renewable technologies often harvest non-traded environmental flows.

APA

Vaughan, S. (2017). Green Shift to Sustainability: Co-Benefits & Impacts of Energy Transformation on Resource Industries, Trade, Growth and Taxes. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/brief/green-shift-sustainability-co-benefits-impacts-energy-transformation-resource

Chicago

Vaughan, Scott. Green Shift to Sustainability: Co-Benefits & Impacts of Energy Transformation on Resource Industries, Trade, Growth and Taxes. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2017. https://www.iisd.org/publications/brief/green-shift-sustainability-co-benefits-impacts-energy-transformation-resource.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Vaughan |first1=Scott |title=Green Shift to Sustainability: Co-Benefits & Impacts of Energy Transformation on Resource Industries, Trade, Growth and Taxes |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=25 April 2017 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/brief/green-shift-sustainability-co-benefits-impacts-energy-transformation-resource |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{vaughan2017green, author = {Vaughan, Scott}, title = {{Green Shift to Sustainability: Co-Benefits \& Impacts of Energy Transformation on Resource Industries, Trade, Growth and Taxes}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2017}, month = apr, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/brief/green-shift-sustainability-co-benefits-impacts-energy-transformation-resource}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }