Independent report

A note on the impossibility of deriving a scientifically valid, ethically sound or policy-useful estimate of the social cost of carbon

The principal greenhouse gas and cause of anthropogenic climate change is carbon dioxide. The Social Cost of Carbon (SCC) is the name given …

• From: Department of Energy & Climate Change
• Published: 14 June 2011

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A note on the impossibility of deriving a scientifically valid, ethically sound or policy-useful estimate of the social cost of carbon: Professor Paul Ekins

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The principal greenhouse gas and cause of anthropogenic climate change is carbon dioxide. The Social Cost of Carbon (SCC) is the name given to the cost of emitting 1 tonne (t) of carbon (as carbon dioxide) today, because of its contribution to climate change. SCC is expressed as a net present value (NPV, i.e. using a discount rate) of the impact over the indefinite future of this 1t of carbon emitted today.

Published 14 June 2011