The equity dimensions of anti-fossil fuel norms

The document examines how anti-fossil fuel norms—specifically the phase-out of coal, oil, and gas, the end of public financing for fossil fuels, and subsidy reform—can overlook the needs of marginalized communities and the Global South. It argues that while these norms create political momentum, they risk causing unintended inequitable consequences, such as asset stranding in developing nations, unless paired with financial support and a focus on energy access.

• Anti-fossil fuel norms use a 'logic of appropriateness' to frame fossil fuel practices as morally wrong, which helps build international political momentum but often ignores the distributional impacts on marginalized communities, particularly in the Global South.
• The norm for phasing out coal-fired power is often promoted by developed countries with declining coal dependence, which can strategically shift attention away from their own oil and gas infrastructure and onto emerging economies like India and China.
• Phasing out oil and gas production poses significant equity risks for developing countries that rely on these resources for national development and energy security, and it increases the risk of stranded assets in the Middle East and Latin America.
• Efforts to end public financing for fossil fuels may jeopardize energy access in low- and middle-income countries, such as LPG for clean cooking programs, especially as developed countries have failed to meet existing climate finance targets.
• Fossil fuel subsidy reform is difficult to implement because consumption subsidies often support vulnerable populations who cannot easily switch to alternatives; furthermore, focusing only on consumption subsidies unfairly impacts developing countries compared to production subsidies used in developed nations.
• To ensure equity, anti-fossil fuel norms should be organized into 'norm clusters' that pair phase-out goals with commitments for financial support, technology transfer, and economic diversification for the Global South.

APA

Nazareth, A., Shawoo, Z., Verkuijl, C., & van Asselt, H. (2022). The equity dimensions of anti-fossil fuel norms. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/equity-anti-fossil-norms-sei2022.49rev.pdf

Chicago

Nazareth, Anisha, Zoha Shawoo, Cleo Verkuijl, and Harro van Asselt. The equity dimensions of anti-fossil fuel norms. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2022. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/equity-anti-fossil-norms-sei2022.49rev.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Nazareth |first1=Anisha |last2=Shawoo |first2=Zoha |last3=Verkuijl |first3=Cleo |last4=van Asselt |first4=Harro |title=The equity dimensions of anti-fossil fuel norms |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=November 2022 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/equity-anti-fossil-norms-sei2022.49rev.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{nazareth2022equity, author = {Nazareth, Anisha and Shawoo, Zoha and Verkuijl, Cleo and van Asselt, Harro}, title = {{The equity dimensions of anti-fossil fuel norms}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2022}, month = nov, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/equity-anti-fossil-norms-sei2022.49rev.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }