Global impact of a climate treaty if the Human Development Index replaces GDP as a welfare proxy

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Abstract

This is the first study that shifts the narrative of climate policy evaluation from one of GDP growth to a message of improving social welfare, as captured by the HDI. This could make it easier for political leaders and climate negotiators to publicly commit themselves to ambitious carbon emission reduction goals, such as limiting global warming to 2°C, as in the (non-binding) agreement made at COP 21 in Paris in 2015. We find that if impacts are framed in terms of growth in HDI per t CO
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)76-85
Number of pages10
JournalClimate Policy
Volume18
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018

Funding

This work was supported by WWF International. This article is the outcome of a study on ‘Maximizing welfare levels while reducing carbon footprints’ undertaken for WWF. We are grateful to Luis Costa for providing the data of his study on the human development index and climate policy, and for providing detailed comments on the text. We have benefitted from detailed feedback by Jaco Du Toit, Patrick Hofstetter, Tabaré Currás and Louise Naude of the WWF. This article, its conclusions, and any views expressed therein do, however, not necessarily represent the views or positions of the WWF. This work was supported by WWF International.

FundersFunder number
World Wildlife Fund
WWF International

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