Paper Number: EE-0564

Document Date: 12/21/2010

Author(s):  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Subject Area(s):

Economic Analysis,  Economic Impacts, Benefit-Cost Analysis, Climate Change, Social Cost of Carbon

Keywords: Economic Analysis,  Economic Impacts, Benefit-Cost Analysis, Climate Change, Social Cost of Carbon, Integrated Assessment Models

Summary: 

EPA's National Center for Environmental Economics (NCER) and Climate Change Division (CCD), together with DOE’s Office of Policy and International Affairs sponsored a two-day workshop on Modeling Climate Change Impacts and Associated Economic Damages. This was the first in an EPA/DOE workshop series, "Improving the Assessment and Valuation of Climate Change Impacts for Policy and Regulatory Analysis." 　

The impetus for this workshop series was the 2009-2010 inter-agency 'social cost of carbon' workgroup that used the DICE, FUND, and PAGE integrated assessment models to estimate time paths of the social cost of carbon for use in future U.S. government regulatory analyses.  The U.S. government’s intention is to revise these estimates, taking into account new research findings that were not included in the first round. To help motivate and inform this process, EPA and DOE are hosting a series of workshops. The November 18-19, 2010, workshop focused on conceptual and methodological issues related to integrated assessment modeling and valuing climate change impacts, along with methods of incorporating these estimates into policy analysis. The second workshop (January 27-28, 2011) reviews research on estimating impacts and valuing damages on a sectoral basis.

Contents of attached file include:

Executive Summary for 2010 and 2011 Workshops

2010 Summary Report

2010 Appendix

2010 Workshop Agenda

Introduction

• Progress Toward a Social Cost of Carbon -Michael Greenstone, MIT (abstract and presentation)

Session 1: Overview of Existing Integrated Assessment Models

• Overview of Integrated Assessment Models  - Jae Edmonds, PNNL (presentation)

Models Used for the Development of Current USG SCC Values

• DICE -Steve Newbold, EPA (abstract and presentation )
• PAGE - Christopher Hope, University of Cambridge (abstract and presentation)
• FUND - avid Anthoff, University of California, Berkeley (abstract and presentation)
• Representation of Climate Impacts in other Integrated Assessment Models
• GCAM and Development of iESM - Leon Clarke, PNNL (presentation)
• IGSM - John Reilly, MIT (abstract and presentation)

Session 2: Near-Term DOE and EPA Efforts

• Proposed Impacts Knowledge Platform - Bob Kopp, DOE, and Nisha Krishnan, RFF (presentation)
• Proposed Generalized Modeling Framework -Alex Marten, EPA (presentation)

Session 3: Critical Modeling Issues in Assessment and Valuation of Climate Change Impacts

• Sectoral and Regional Disaggregation and Interactions - Ian Sue Wing, Boston University (abstract and presentation)
• Adaptation and Technological Change -Karen Fisher-Vanden, Pennsylvania State University, and Ian Sue Wing, Boston University (abstract and presentation)
• Multi-century Scenario Development and Socio-Economic Uncertainty -Brian O’Neill, National Center for Atmospheric Research (abstract and presentation)
• Incorporation of Climate System Uncertainty into IAMs -Gerard Roe, University of Washington (abstract and presentation)
• Extrapolation of Damage Estimates to High Temperatures: Damage Function Shapes -Marty Weitzman, Harvard University (abstract )
• Earth System Tipping Points -Tim Lenton, University of East Anglia (abstract and presentation)
• Potential Economic Catastrophes -Michael Toman, World Bank (abstract and presentation)
• Nonmarket Impacts - Michael Hanemann, University of California, Berkeley
  (presentation)

Session 4: Implications for Climate Policy Analysis and Design

• Implications for Design and Benefit-Cost Analysis of Emission Reduction Policies - Ray Kopp, Resources for the Future (presentation)
• Implications for Addressing Equity and Natural Capital Impacts - Geoff Heal, Columbia University abstract and presentation)
• Implications for Choice of Policy Targets for Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Nat Keohane, Environmental Defense Fund - (presentation )
• Implications for Managing Climate Risks  - Roger Cooke, Resources for the Future (abstract and presentation)

This workshop is part of the Environmental Policy and Economics Workshop Series.

• Improving the Assessment and Valuation of Climate Change Impacts for Policy and Regulatory Analysis: complete set (2010-part 1) (PDF)(733 pp, 27 MB, 12/21/2010, EE-0564)
  EPA's National Center for Environmental Economics and Climate Change Division, together with DOE’s Office of Policy and International Affairs sponsored a two-day workshop on Modeling Climate Change Impacts and Associated Economic Damages. First workshop on "Improving the Assessment and Valuation of Climate Change Impacts for Policy and Regulatory Analysis" focused on conceptual and methodological issues - integrated assessment modeling and valuation. COMPLETE SET
• Executive Summary: Improving the Assessment and Valuation of Climate Change Impacts for Policy and Regulatory Analysis - Parts 1 and 2 (2011) (PDF)(8 pp, 863 K, 06/10/2011, EE-0566)
• Workshop Agenda: Improving the Assessment and Valuation of Climate Change Impacts for Policy and Regulatory Analysis: Research on Climate Change Impacts and Associated Economic Damages - Part 1 (2010) (PDF)(4 pp, 149 K, 11/18/2010, EE-0564)
• Workshop Report: Improving the Assessment and Valuation of Climate Change Impacts for Policy and Regulatory Analysis – Part 1 (2010) (PDF)(38 pp, 2 MB, 01/01/2011, EE-0564)
• Appendix to Workshop Report: Improving the Assessment and Valuation of Climate Change Impacts for Policy and Regulatory Analysis - Part 1 (2010) (PDF)(103 pp, 2 MB, 01/01/2011, EE-0564)