Living Standards and Economic Performance with Ambitious Climate Action

The document synthesizes findings from six climate models, noting that while stabilizing atmospheric CO2 at 450ppmv is feasible, the reported costs are highly dependent on baseline assumptions. It argues that most models focus on 'GDP losses' relative to future business-as-usual scenarios, which can be misleading; instead, it suggests presenting results against historical baselines to show that significant economic growth is still projected even with ambitious climate action.

• Stabilizing atmospheric CO2 concentrations at 450ppmv is considered theoretically feasible, although it remains challenging.
• The annual cost of mitigation for low-carbon scenarios is typically estimated to be below 1.4% of GDP by 2050, and generally less than 2%, when compared to reference cases and excluding direct climate benefits.
• Global economic growth is projected to continue even under ambitious climate action; by 2050, the global economy is expected to be 2.5 to 2.9 times larger than 2010 levels, with per capita GDP roughly doubling.
• BRIC economies (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) are predicted to see particularly strong growth, with estimates suggesting increases of 400-750% by 2100, even under a 450ppmv stabilization target.
• The cost of mitigation is heavily influenced by the choice of baseline assumptions, and many models omit the avoided damages and climate impacts that would result from mitigation.
• Current model communication is limited by a narrow focus on global-level indicators of economic activity, such as GDP, GWP, and GNP, often neglecting other living standard metrics like employment or income distribution.

APA

Klinsky, S., Hatfield-Dodds, S., & Mizuno, E. (2012). Living Standards and Economic Performance with Ambitious Climate Action. Climate Strategies. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/brief-model-communication-final-v3.pdf

Chicago

Klinsky, Sonja, Steve Hatfield-Dodds, and Emi Mizuno. Living Standards and Economic Performance with Ambitious Climate Action. Climate Strategies, 2012. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/brief-model-communication-final-v3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Klinsky |first1=Sonja |last2=Hatfield-Dodds |first2=Steve |last3=Mizuno |first3=Emi |title=Living Standards and Economic Performance with Ambitious Climate Action |publisher=Climate Strategies |date=September 2012 |url=https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/brief-model-communication-final-v3.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{klinsky2012living, author = {Klinsky, Sonja and Hatfield-Dodds, Steve and Mizuno, Emi}, title = {{Living Standards and Economic Performance with Ambitious Climate Action}}, institution = {Climate Strategies}, year = {2012}, month = sep, url = {https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/brief-model-communication-final-v3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }