The world is vastly underestimating the benefits of acting on climate change.Recent researchfrom the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate finds that bold climate action could deliver at least $26 trillion in economic benefits through 2030. This ground-breaking research, produced by the Global Commission and more than 200 experts, highlights proof points of the global shift to a low-carbon economy, and identifies ways to accelerate action in five sectors: energy, cities, food and land use, water and industry. Our blog series,26万亿美元的机会, explores these economic opportunities in greater detail.

Climate discussions like those we’ve just been seeing at the联合国峰会在波兰的Katowicetend to focus on working together to deliver existing climate commitments and raising ambition—getting countries to reduce more GHG emissions, faster. But there’s an equally important issue that gets far less attention: ensuring climate action is delivered in a way that doesn’t leave anyone behind, particularly the world’s most vulnerable people.

The effects of climate change will not be equitably distributed. Poor populations—those with the least capacity to adapt—will be hit the hardest by droughts, floods and other impacts. Women are particularly vulnerable to the impacts: For example, women and children are14 times more likely to dieduring natural disasters than men.

On the other side of the coin, climate action can inadvertently hurt the poor if policies aren’t designed properly. The world saw this play out in France this month with the“黄色背心”抗议。尽管抗议活动显然反映出对停滞的生活水平和经济不平等的愤怒，但最初是为了响应燃油税的增加而引发的。但是，黄色背心抗议是not against climate action; rather, they are pro-equity, reflecting mounting dissatisfaction from rural and working-class citizens being left behind.

The good news is that theNew Climate Economy’s 2018 Reportdescribes how a low-carbon transition can, if managed well, deliver inclusive, sustainable growth. But, if poorly managed, there is real potential to exacerbate social exclusion, for example for workers and regions whose economies depend on coal mining. We don’t just need a low-carbon transition; we need to ensure that it is a “just transition.”

Carbon Pricing Can Achieve Both Economic and Climate Benefits

将碳排放量投入价格可以推动有效的减少排放，刺激创新，并允许企业和家庭选择减少排放方式。这意味着干净的技术和实践可以在更平等的竞争环境中与化石燃料或其他加温葡萄酒发射技术竞争。将碳定价扩大到更多地方，以及化石燃料补贴改革，对于加速低碳过渡至关重要。如果有效地设计和实施，碳定价也可以实现更广泛的可持续发展收益并减少经济不平等。

In 2017, carbon pricing programs raised$33 billion全球政府收入。新的气候经济发现必威官网是真的吗化石燃料补贴改革和碳定价可能会产生2.8万亿美元—more than India’s GDP today—in government revenues in 2030.

By creating new sources of public finance, carbon pricing initiatives can enable government investments in critical public priorities like healthcare, education or infrastructure. Alternatively, revenue can be returned directly to citizens through tax cuts or rebates. Or the revenue could be used for a combination of these measures. By using these measures to support the poor or other groups who are disproportionately affected by structural changes associated with the low-carbon transition, carbon pricing systems can be a powerful tool for supporting a just transition.

Momentum on Carbon Pricing is Growing. So, Too, Are Uses of the Revenues

Today, as many as70 countries, states and provinceshave carbon-pricing systems in place or plan to introduce them shortly, covering as much as 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. This reflects a remarkable increase from 2004, when just 1 percent of emissions were covered under carbon pricing. Many places are designing innovative approaches to use the revenues in ways that address economic and social needs, as well as environmental goals. Here are just a few examples:

智利

智利在2014年通过了碳税，作为更广泛的税收改革的一部分，以减少与化石燃料相关的空气污染。该税的目的是达到该国到2020年将排放量降低20％的目标的目标。饲养的热电厂的碳税税率为每吨二氧化碳等效量为5美元（TCO2E）1.45亿美元in government revenues in 2017. While the carbon tax increased taxes on big businesses, it was recycled in a way that lowered the tax burden for consumers.

Colombia

Colombia launched its carbon tax in 2017 at a price of $5/tCO2e. The tax generated1.72亿美元政府计划在政府收入中，政府计划用于支持环境和农村发展项目。对于对税收负担的​​化石燃料的卖家和进口商，他们可以选择通过购买位于哥伦比亚的认可排放偏移项目来遵守，进一步指导该国的低碳投资。例如，哥伦比亚最大的混凝土生产商之一Cemex现在正在为重新造林项目提供资金plant 500,000 trees在该国，以抵消其1200辆柴油动力卡车的机队。哥伦比亚最近还批准了立法，以建立排放交易系统（ETS）。政府将在未来三年内对各种ETS设计进行经济影响研究。

加拿大

加拿大is a global leader in carbon pricing. Several successful systems have been in place at the provincial level for many years, and next year, the government will expand nationwide. OnApril 1, 2019,all provinces that do not already have a carbon price in place that meets the federal standard will be subject to a federal carbon tax of $15/tCO2e, increasing by $7.50 each year to reach $37.50/tCO2e in 2022.

The revenues collected from the federal tax will be redistributed to citizens in provinces under the federal system (including Ontario, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Nunavut). According to the government, a majority of households in these provinces can expect to receive更多的回扣than they will pay in higher energy prices. For example, the average household in Manitoba would expect to see a cost of $174, but a rebate of $252, for a net benefit of $78.

联邦标准以省级的成功为基础。例如，不列颠哥伦比亚在2008年施加了收入中立的碳税，返回9.62亿美元in revenues to citizens in 2017 in the form of tax rebates. Analysis has shown that low and middle-income households are better off under that tax than they would be without it. Moving forward, the province will redirect some of the revenues towards climate initiatives such as energy-efficiency retrofits. The province has also committed to reach $37.50/tCO2e in 2021, a more ambitious timetable than the federal standard.

美国

尽管在联邦一级不采取任何行动，但在美国的次国国家层面上还是有一些令人兴奋的碳定价发展。例如，区域温室气体倡议（RGGI），即涵盖东北和中大西洋大型发电厂的CO2排放的强制性上限和贸易系统，明年为10周年，将扩展到10个州。RGGI国家通过季度二氧化碳排放许可证拍卖获得收入。RGGI国家一直将通过该计划提出的大多数收入重新投资到能源效率，清洁能源，消除温室气体和为消费者提供直接的能源法案援助。这些投资不仅使电力系统更清洁，更高效，而且根据设计，它们还减少了包括低收入家庭在内的企业和消费者的电费。

The economic and social benefits to the region have been significant.Between 2015-2017, RGGI added $1.4 billion in net economic value to participating states, produced $220 million in energy savings, and reduced expenditure on out-of-state fossil fuels by $1.37 billion. Improvements to air quality and public health over RGGI’s first six years were valued at $8.3 billion. The RGGI states have increased the ambition of the program by tightening the emissions cap by an additional 30 percent in 2020-2030 and extending the program to 2030.

California’s 2012 cap-and-trade program covers 85 percent of statewide emissions from industry, power, transport and buildings. The program raised$2.03 billionin revenues in 2017. California spends this money on a variety of climate-related projects including electric car rebates, affordable housing units, energy-efficient home improvements, planting trees and fire risk- reduction. By law,25％of funds must be allocated to projects in low-income and polluted communities. These state-financed funds havealso attractedmore than $8.2 billion in co-funding, leveraging an average of $6 for every dollar invested. Oregon is expected to enact a similar system in 2019, and other U.S. states committed to the goals of the Paris Agreement are considering a variety of carbon pricing initiatives as well. At the federal level, activists呼吁“绿色新交易”that includes carbon pricing embedded in a broader agenda of economic reform, public investment, job creation and social justice.

Growing Momentum for Carbon Prices

碳定价的动力继续增长。Eighty-eight countrieshave stated that they are planning or considering the use of carbon pricing as a tool to meet their commitments under the international Paris Agreement on climate change. Nearly 1,400 companies are applying internal or implicit carbon prices to guide their own investment decisions, and many more have called on governments to step-up ambition on carbon pricing to send a clear, stable policy signal.

As some of the above examples demonstrate, a carbon pricing system that is both well-designed and implemented can serve both environmental and social objectives. Countries looking to increase their climate ambitions and support a just transition cannot afford to ignore carbon pricing. But they do need to ensure they learn both from the recent successes and the failures.