Webcast #1: Series introduction and projecting economies and emissions for estimating the global economic impacts of climate change

Stanford University and EPRI present:

Options for Estimating the Global Economic Impacts of Climate Change and the Social Cost of Carbon Module-by-Module  

A public educational webcast series

Please join us for a public educational webcast series that explores options for modeling the global economic impacts of climate change and the social cost of carbon module-by-module, as well as overall. The first webcast in the series was on January 11, 2024.

Federal and state governments, as well as international negotiators and others, are interested in understanding the global economic costs of a changing climate. This information is important for estimating the benefits of limiting global warming to well below 2ᵒC, evaluating macroeconomic climate risks to economies, and estimating the social costs of carbon, methane, and other greenhouse gases (SC-GHGs) to value the climate benefits of policies that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. SC-GHGs are estimates of the discounted future economic cost to society from the climate change caused by emitting one unit of a GHG into the atmosphere.

Recent IPCC reports, as well as new SC-GHG methodology developments, have facilitated and forced assessment of current underlying scientific knowledge and translation of that information into global economic impacts of climate change modeling. With governments and stakeholders needing reliable information to inform decisions with significant national and global ramifications, broad public and scientific engagement, understanding, assessment, and dialogue are essential.

The Stanford-EPRI Educational Webcast Series is designed to improve the state of understanding regarding the science, facilitate scientific and public dialogue on approaches, alternatives, and opportunities, and inform the development of the scientifically reliable estimates needed for robust decisions and public confidence. Estimating the global economic impacts of climate change, however, is technically and scientifically challenging, requiring characterization and projection of potential global economic and physical systems for centuries. Methodologies include some representation of linked modules projecting global socioeconomic and emissions conditions, climate and other earth system responses, economic impacts to future climate change, and discounting to compute the net present value of economic impacts.

This webcast series will convene panels of leading experts on the science related to each of the modules associated with estimation, and overall. Each expert panel will share its thoughts on the available science, options, technical issues, and opportunities. The series plans to cover the following topics:

• Projecting economies and emissions for estimating the global economic impacts of climate change.
• Options for estimating the global economic impacts response to a future climate.
• Modeling global climate change and earth system responses to greenhouse gas emissions.
• Discounting the Economic Impacts of Climate Change.
• If not the social cost of carbon, what else or what in addition to it? 

• Is module-by-module modeling of the global economic impacts of climate change credible?  

   

Stanford-EPRI Public Educational Webcast Series on Options for Estimating the Global Economic Impacts of Climate Change and the Social Cost of Carbon Module-by-Module 

Series introduction and projecting economies and emissions for estimating the global economic impacts of climate change

January 11, 2024 

2-3:30 PM EST / 11-12:30 AM PST / 8-9:30 PM CET 

Opening remarks: John Weyant (Stanford University)

Moderator: Dominique van der Mensbrugghe (Purdue University), presentation, slides

Expert panel: 

• Detlef van Vuuren (PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency and Utrecht University), presentation,slides

• Rob Dellink (OECD), presentation,slides

• Steven Rose (EPRI) , presentation,slides