The Impact Benefits Calculator (IBC)

The Impact Benefits Calculator (IBC) is a feature within the LEAP software designed to translate emissions scenarios into estimates of premature mortality from air pollution and global temperature changes. It simplifies complex atmospheric modeling, making it accessible to planners in developing countries by using parameterized results from the GEOS-Chem Adjoint model.

• The Impact Benefits Calculator (IBC) translates LEAP emissions scenarios into estimates of climate impacts, specifically global temperature change, and health impacts, specifically premature mortality associated with air pollution.
• IBC calculates population-weighted concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) by combining emission estimates with parameterized results from the GEOS-Chem Adjoint model, then applies standard concentration-response functions from the Global Burden of Disease Study to estimate premature mortality.
• To use the tool, users must provide comprehensive emissions inventories and forward-looking scenarios for local air pollutants and both long- and short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), including CO2, methane (CH4), black carbon, organic carbon, PM2.5, non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ammonia (NH3).
• The tool incorporates global emissions estimates for the period 2010-2050 from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) ECLIPSE scenarios, offering both a baseline scenario with minor worldwide efforts and a maximal effort scenario involving 16 measures, such as banning agricultural residue burning.
• The IBC has been calibrated for 161 countries and was developed through a collaboration between the Stockholm Environment Institute and the University of Colorado, with support from the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and UNEP.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (n.d.). The Impact Benefits Calculator (IBC). https://leap.sei.org/help24/IBC/Introduction_to_IBC.htm

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. The Impact Benefits Calculator (IBC). n.d. https://leap.sei.org/help24/IBC/Introduction_to_IBC.htm.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=The Impact Benefits Calculator (IBC) |url=https://leap.sei.org/help24/IBC/Introduction_to_IBC.htm |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitutendimpact, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{The Impact Benefits Calculator (IBC)}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://leap.sei.org/help24/IBC/Introduction_to_IBC.htm}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }