This is an archived material originally posted on sciy.org which is no longer active. The title, content, author, date of posting shown below, all are as per the sciy.org records
EarthTrack
Originally posted on sciy.org by Ron Anastasia on Tue 20 Mar 2007 02:15 PM PDT
Earth Track is working
to develop comprehensive and accurate information on government
interventions in energy markets through direct research and by forging
partnerships with organizations and individuals around the world. By
developing this data, we aim to inform local, national, and
international bodies about how the interaction of their many policies
affect energy markets, environmental quality, trade, and fiscal
health. This information will ensure greater alignment between
environmental goals and fiscal and regulatory policies.
Interventions come in a
range of guises, including tax breaks, special taxes, below-market
loans or insurance, loan guarantees, direct grants, regulatory
exemptions, or subsidies associated with direct government provision of
energy goods or services. They can act either as subsidies
(artificially reducing the cost of certain commodities) or as taxes
(artificially increasing the cost of certain commodities).
While global efforts are
underway to curb climate change, restructure energy markets, and
transition to cleaner energy sources, there is very little information
on how existing policies impede the achievement of these goals. Without
this information, both markets and governments make less informed
decisions about what energy to buy and what new technologies to invest
in. Earth Track's role is to:
Consolidate and standardize
information on government interventions in energy markets from hundreds
of sources and data providers in countries around the world.
Provide an unbiased source of information on these policies outside of the pressures and politics of international organizations.
Present information on subsidies and complicated financial, accounting, and regulatory policies in a manner accessible to non-technical audiences.
Present a holistic picture of the impact of government policies by energy type, type of policy, or geographic region.
Quantify the value
of existing subsidies and taxes whenever possible to allow evaluation
of time trends, patterns across fuels and regions, and to serve as
inputs to macro-economic models.
