The Social Cost of Carbon: Key Scientific and Policy Considerations for the Biden Administration

On his first day in office, President Joe Biden took a number of early actions to address climate change, including signing an “Executive Order on Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis.” A key component of that order focuses on accounting for the benefits of reducing climate pollution—including revisiting and recommitting to the social cost of carbon (SCC), which estimates economic damages that would result from greenhouse gas emissions.

Under the order, the federal government is reconvening an interagency working group to oversee the process for updating estimates of the social costs of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, taking into account near-term recommendations from the National Academies of Sciences (NAS). The group is tasked with publishing interim estimates within 30 days and a final set of updated estimates by January 2022.

Join on Wednesday, February 10, as scholars from Resources for the Future (RFF) and the Climate Impact Lab highlight the latest SCC-related research. The conversation will also feature perspectives from decision-makers using the SCC to inform policy and highlight key considerations for the Biden administration’s near-term and final updates of the estimates.

Speakers

• Trevor Houser, Rhodium Group, Climate Impact Lab
• Maureen Leddy, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
• Kevin Rennert, Resources for the Future (moderator)

More speakers to be announced.