ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Perverse subsidies

A perverse subsidy is when the government or somebody else gives money or something else of value to people or businesses to do something bad. For example, fossil fuel companies are sometimes given "subsidies," which is money from the government to help pay for their business. Even though burning fossil fuels adds to pollution, the government sometimes gives money to those companies. This is an example of a perverse subsidy.