Paremos con el gas: Finanzas públicas internacionales, gas natural y alternativas limpias en el sur global

The report finds that international public finance disproportionately supports natural gas in low- and middle-income countries, often exceeding support for wind and solar by four times. It argues that the 'bridge fuel' narrative is obsolete due to the falling costs of renewables and the risks of stranded assets and methane leaks. The document recommends that international financial institutions cease funding gas infrastructure and instead support clean energy integration, technology transfer, and a just transition, particularly for the poorest nations.

• International public finance for natural gas in low- and middle-income countries is significantly higher than for other energy sources, averaging USD 16 billion per year between 2017 and 2019, which is four times the amount provided for wind or solar energy.
• Multilateral development banks (MDBs) continued to prioritize gas during the Covid-19 pandemic, with gas receiving over 75% of MDB economic support for fossil fuels in 2020.
• The concept of natural gas as a 'bridge fuel' is considered obsolete because of the urgency of the climate crisis, the drastic price reduction of wind and solar storage, and the environmental impact of methane leaks.
• Investing in gas infrastructure creates a risk of 'carbon lock-in' and stranded assets, potentially leaving economies dependent on high-carbon paths and vulnerable to changing global energy markets.
• Renewable energy is now more cost-competitive than gas for most uses in the Global South, including electricity generation and clean cooking, with heavy industry alternatives expected by the early 2030s.
• Case studies of emerging economies reveal specific challenges: Argentina struggles with high subsidies and debt; Egypt risks redundancy by pursuing both gas and electric vehicle infrastructure; and India faces high costs for imported gas and reliance on gas for fertilizer production.

APA

Muttitt, G., Sharma, S., Mostafa, M., Kühne, K., Doukas, A., Gerasimchuk, I., & Roth, J. (2021). Paremos con el gas: Finanzas públicas internacionales, gas natural y alternativas limpias en el sur global. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-06/natural-gas-finance-clean-alternatives-global-south-summary-es.pdf

Chicago

Muttitt, Greg, Shruti Sharma, Mostafa Mostafa, Kjell Kühne, Alex Doukas, Ivetta Gerasimchuk, and Joachim Roth. Paremos con el gas: Finanzas públicas internacionales, gas natural y alternativas limpias en el sur global. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-06/natural-gas-finance-clean-alternatives-global-south-summary-es.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{muttitt2021paremos, author = {Muttitt, Greg and Sharma, Shruti and Mostafa, Mostafa and Kühne, Kjell and Doukas, Alex and Gerasimchuk, Ivetta and Roth, Joachim}, title = {{Paremos con el gas: Finanzas públicas internacionales, gas natural y alternativas limpias en el sur global}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = jun, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-06/natural-gas-finance-clean-alternatives-global-south-summary-es.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }