UK leads in fossil fuel subsidies amid EU pledges on climate change

A new report from the European Commission highlights how subsidies for coal, oil and natural gas across the area have remained at the same level as 2008 despite European Union pledges to tackle climate change.

Both the EU and G20 have long pledged to phase out the spending support for fossil fuels, which it says impedes the transition to clean energy needed to fight climate change.

The United Kingdom leads the EU in subsidies to fossil fuels, according to the report, which found the nation spent 12 billion euros ($13.6 billion) a year supporting fossil fuels in the UK, significantly more than the 8.3 billion euros spent on renewable energy.