The Future Costs of Methane Emissions

By comparing the human costs of climate change with actual monetary losses, a research group determined that the world’s high-income communities should pay more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions than poorer populations. In this Nature article, James K. Hammitt, a professor of economics and decision sciences at Harvard University, analyzes the value “SC-CH₄” used by the researchers to pursue more precise measurements of the social costs and detrimental changes caused by greenhouse gas emissions over time. The study points toward a more equitable, effective way to pay for climate change effects worldwide.