(CN) – The costs of cutting back on carbon emissions may not be as pricey as once believed – once the improved health of Earth’s citizens is taken into account.
Researchers say in new study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications that the costs of reducing carbon emissions become fair expenses if the benefits from cleaner air are factored in. As fewer people suffer from diseases and death connected to air pollution, the resulting savings more than justify the cost of cutting carbon emissions.
Even changes made on the scale of satisfying the United Nations Paris Climate Agreement, standards that come with steep price tags are still economically advantageous once net health benefits have been added to the equation.
Mark Budolfson, co-lead author of the study, suggests that while the benefits of taking action on climate change have always been considered in broader contexts, they’ve never been looked at using a purely economic model.
The findings by Budolfson’s team are startling: Trillions of dollars in health benefit costs alone could be saved annually if more climate action policies are implemented. The researchers concluded money spent on the consequences of air pollution far outweigh what’s needed to cut the carbon emissions that cause the air pollution in the first place.
In other words, it makes more economic sense to spend aggressively to cut carbon emissions. More money could be saved in the long run by investing in programs that improve the climate, an economical relationship poorly explored before now.
Researchers also found these economic benefits can be felt in the short term since cutting emissions will improve the lives and well-being of people today, so money will be saved almost immediately. Most importantly, the dialogue over fighting air pollution is no longer about the future as its effect on the present can be equally observed, the team found.
Budolfson sees a very clear purpose for this research. “I think this research will contribute to the growing realization that nations have strong reasons to reduce greenhouse gas emissions partly to benefit their own citizens, even in the absence of coordinated global action,” he said in an email.
Follow @@CarsonAndLloyd
Subscribe to Closing Arguments
Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.
