Trump Administration Lowered Cost of Climate Change, GAO Finds

The Trump administration’s estimate of the social cost of climate change is seven times lower than the amount used during the Obama administration, according to a Tuesday report by the Government Accountability Office.

The social cost of climate change is the value of the effects of an incremental increase in carbon dioxide emissions, usually measured in dollars per metric ton. The dollar value influences how governments calculate the costs and benefits of energy and environmental regulations and climate change policies.

The metric has become an industry target because of how it has been used to justify stringent regulations.

Under previous ...