
The World Blows over $5T a Year on Oil and Gas Subsidies: Report - Breadmaker
https://earther.gizmodo.com/the-world-blows-over-5-trillion-a-year-on-oil-and-gas-1834624546
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JamesBarney
They count as subsidies the difference between optimal carbon taxation and
current taxation. Which in some analyses needs to be counted but subsidies can
be a misleading term for it.

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alexandercrohde
Agreed. I think externalities need to be accounted for, but regardless,
intentionally using misleading language "for the right cause" is never
justified imho.

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panarky
And that $5.2 trillion doesn't include compensation for the 4.2 million people
who die every year due to fossil fuel pollution.

[https://www.who.int/airpollution/en/](https://www.who.int/airpollution/en/)

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spoiledtechie
and that 4.2 Million people doesn't include the 7 Billion people in the world
that need fossil fuels in order to have power. Cars, buildings etc. Because of
fossil fuels, life has been much better for the 7 billion.

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consp
I would not include all in that equation. Victims of increased heavy
precipitation might disagree with that statement, not as a whole but at least
in some parts.

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randyrand
Disregarding the fact that this is not what “subsidy” refers to, it’s
disingenuous to only count negative externalities without counting positive
ones.

air travel, cars, snow blowers, truck transport, train transport, bus
transport, natural gas house heating, propane fork lifts, front loaders,
orbital rockets (gps anyone?).

Imagine life without these things. To calculate the true cost of oil you need
to include its benefits as well. Electric batteries are only _just_ becoming
feasible for most of these things.

Of those airplanes and orbital rockets still have no feasible battery
alternatives and won’t for some time.

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challenger22
Lack of externality-cancelling taxes is not equal to a subsidy.

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nathan_long
If a town allowed a restaurant to dump their trash in a public park for free,
would you consider that a subsidy?

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gridlockd
No.

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nathan_long
LOL

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nathan_long
Competing restaurants and whoever is in charge of the park cleanup budget
would disagree with you quite strongly

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frankbreetz
How far would this amount help to switch over to renewable energy?

