“Governments spend as much as $300 billion a year total in subsidies that encourage consumption and discourage efficiency. The subsidies delay the transition from dirty energy to more climate-friendly sources of power”, said a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Report.
These subsides are hindering proactive fuel-efficient long term sustainability efforts. Studies, such as those of the UNEP indicate that elimination of these subsidies would result in a 6% reduction in green-house gas emissions.
“The subsidies delay the transition from dirty energy to more climate-friendly sources of power,” said one UNEP report. Kaveh Zahedi, UNEP’s climate change coordinator further stated that subsidies "don't always help the poor who need it most." They often benefit the wealthy. He also said, “Some countries spend more on subsidizing oil than they do on health and education combined." For villages that are not privy to electricity, where poor families consume only modest amounts of fuel, low electricity prices are meaningless. 
