The equity dimensions of anti-fossil fuel norms

This policy brief from the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the equity implications of emerging 'anti-fossil fuel norms' in international climate governance. It argues that while simple moral norms—such as phasing out coal, oil, gas, and subsidies—are effective for political mobilization, they often overlook the distributional impacts on marginalized communities and low-income countries in the Global South. The authors recommend using 'norm clusters' that pair phase-out goals with financial support, technology transfer, and a recognition of the different capacities of the Global North and Global South to transition.

• Anti-fossil fuel norms are conceptualized through a 'logic of appropriateness,' focusing on what is morally right regardless of economic cost. While this simplicity helps build international political momentum, it risks overlooking national and international equity issues and the distributional impacts of transitioning away from fossil fuels.
• The norm of phasing out coal-fired power is often promoted by developed countries with declining coal dependence, which can be used strategically to shift attention away from their own oil and gas infrastructure and onto emerging economies like China and India.
• Phasing out oil and gas production presents significant equity challenges for developing countries that view these resources as essential national assets for energy security and social development. There is currently no dedicated funding mechanism to help these fossil-fuel dependent countries shift their economies.
• The push to end public financing for fossil fuels may lack nuance regarding development needs in low-income countries, such as rural energy access. The authors note that developed countries have failed to meet existing climate finance targets, raising concerns that ending certain types of support (e.g., LPG for clean cooking) will occur without alternative funding.
• Fossil fuel subsidy reform is complex because while most subsidies are regressive (benefiting the wealthy), some support vulnerable populations who cannot easily switch to alternatives. Equity among nations is also at risk if norms only target consumption subsidies (common in developing countries) rather than production subsidies (common in developed countries).
• To address equity, the authors suggest creating 'norm clusters'—groups of related norm statements. These should pair phase-out goals with norms regarding the Global North moving faster, the provision of financial support and technology transfer to the Global South, and the protection of workers' rights.

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} }