How WTO Rules Shape The World’s Energy Mix

Government subsidies world-wide influence the economic landscape, including the energy industries and, notably, the ratio of fossil fuel to renewables in energy production. Environmentalists argue that fossil fuel industries receive subsidies that World Trade Organization rules fail to recognize or properly account for, particularly in relation to the costs of climate change. At the same time – whether because of their association with “local input,” or because of politics or less skilled advocacy – WTO disputes triggered by renewables have become more frequent.