WTO chief urges countries to prioritise subsidies that tackle climate crisis

Subsidies and other incentives to burn fossil fuels and encourage poor agricultural practices, amounting to about €1.6tn a year

The group Red Rebels is seen performing in front of the people during the demonstration. Picture: Ana Fernandez/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Governments must start to distinguish between the good subsidies they need to fight the climate crisis and the bad ones that are increasing greenhouse gas emissions, the world’s trade chief has said.

Subsidies and other incentives to burn fossil fuels and encourage poor agricultural practices, amounting to about $1.7tn (€1.6tn) a year, are distorting world trade and hampering the fight against climate breakdown, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the director general of the World Trade Organization, told the Guardian.