Climate change & energy

Climate change: The cost of carbon

An International Seminar on the Social Cost of Carbon

Image of high profile academics who attended the seminar

Several high profile academics attended the seminar. Names from left to right:- Paul Watkiss, Dr Tom Downing, Dr Dieter Helm, Prof Michael Grubb, Prof Alistair Ulph

Defra organised an international seminar on 7 July 2003 to provide an opportunity for leading environmental economists and modellers from around the world to contribute to the evolving debate on the monetary valuation of the damage costs of carbon dioxide emissions and its application to policy assessment.

The longer-term improvement of our understanding of the social cost of carbon is likely to require several developments in integrated assessment models and in the underlying impact science. Nonetheless following the seminar of 7th July some key areas have emerged as priorities for further modelling work. This should be aimed at improving the treatment of those impacts that SCC estimates already try to incorporate to some extent, as well as at expanding their coverage to include catastrophic and abrupt change.

The Government has now followed up the International Seminar with the creation of a Defra-chaired Inter-departmental Group on the social cost of carbon (IGSCC). The group has commissioned further research on the issue (due to report in Spring 2005) and is looking at priorities for further research as well as at the use of social cost of carbon estimates in policy decision-making within a context of uncertainty. The aim is to publish new recommendations together with the revised Climate Change Programme (CCP) by summer 2005.

Links

Proceedings

Session 1- Integrated Models and the SCC
Session 2 - The Uncertainty on the SCC: Implications For Policy Assessment

Contact details

  • Mr Michele Pittini
    Economic Adviser
    E-mail: Michele.Pittini@defra.gsi.gov.uk
    Telephone: + 44 (0)207 082 8592

  • Chiara Candelise
    Assistant Economist
    E-mail: Chiara.Candelise@defra.gsi.gov.uk
    Telephone: + 44 (0)207 082 8591

  • Environment Policy Economics
    Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
    Zone 5/F5 Ashdown House, 123 Victoria Street
    London SW1E 6DE UK

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Page last modified: 01 December, 2005
Page published: 01 December, 2005

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs