A new study by researchers at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria (IIASA) has outlined the ways in which climate change, social conditions, and economic systems contribute to human wellbeing.
In undertaking the study, the researchers used the Years of Good Life (YoGL) indicator, developed by IIASA, which measures how many years individuals can expect to live in good physical and cognitive health, above poverty thresholds, and with reported life satisfaction.
This indicator was used to assess how emissions today influence future quality of life, shifting attention away from economic output, towards measures that reflect human wellbeing.
Well-being cost of carbon
The study, entitled Well-being cost of carbon, was published in Global Sustainability. As it found, strong climate action can increase individual wellbeing by more than a decade (10.4 years) on average, while high-emissions pathways can reduce lifetime wellbeing by as much as 11.3 years.
Variations appear between generations – and between men and women – in terms of how emissions translate into changes in well-being outcomes.
“Our study demonstrates that well-being can be modelled in a forward-looking and integrated way, capturing the links between climate change, the economy, and social development,” commented Sibel Eker, study author and IIASA Senior Research Scholar. “For policymakers, the approach offers a way to compare climate and development pathways, with human well-being—not just economic output—at the center of decision-making.”
Common wellbeing metric
As the researchers note, this model provides a method to compare development and climate pathways using a common wellbeing metric, which can also allow policymakers to assess trade-offs between emissions, economic activity, and social outcomes without relying solely on income-based indicators.
“For the first time, we can quantify how changes in climate and other forms of natural, human or economic capital translate into gains or losses in human well-being across generations and genders,” added Wolfgang Lutz, distinguished emeritus research scholar and co-author, IIASA
“It is time to think about the well-being cost of carbon instead of focusing only on economic costs, because what ultimately matters is how today’s emissions shape the quality of life of future generations.” Read more here and here.
