A reading titled ‘The Social Cost of Carbon and the Shadow Price of Carbon’ by Richard Price, Simeon Thornton and Stephen Nelson Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), London, that discusses the topics of social cost of carbon (SCC) and shadow pricing of carbon (SPC) when formulating appraisals and climate change policies. This resource uses the United Kingdom (UK) as the area of study but can also be used for other regions. The reading introduces the concepts of shadow prices and market prices and explains the link between them. It includes discussions on the benefits of calculating both the SCC and the SPC to reflect the overall cost of greenhouse gas emissions to determine a well-informed stabilisation goal. It further includes discussions to understand the importance of climate informed policies in the economic assessment of a country.

Students will learn about the social cost of carbon and the shadow price of carbon. They will learn how to compare the marginal abatement costs and social costs of carbon for different stabilisation goals as determined by the Stern Review. Students will further learn the application of the SCC and the SPC when determining cost-effectiveness of resources, the concepts of discounting and discount rates for calculating carbon prices