Assessments of the aggregate impacts of climate change on the global economy are widely varying and diverge depending on the method employed. It is essential to understand the mechanisms behind the differing estimates and identify a robust range. Only then could these estimates meaningfully inform and guide climate actions.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$32.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to the full article PDF.
USD 39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References
Kotz, M., Levermann, A. & Wenz, L. Nature 628, 551–557 (2024).
Tol, R. S. J. Energy Policy 185, 113922 (2024).
Rose, S. et al. in Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability (eds Pörtner, H.-O. et al.) Ch. 16 (IPCC, Cambridge Univ. Press, 2022).
Rose, S. K., Diaz, D. B. & Blanford, G. J. Clim. Change Econ. 8, 1750009 (2017).
Burke, M., Davis, W. M. & Diffenbaugh, N. S. Nature 557, 549–553 (2018).
Burke, M., Hsiang, S. M. & Miguel, E. Nature 527, 235–239 (2015).
Nordhaus, W. D. Am. Sci. 82, 45–51 (1994).
Stern, N. Stern Review: The Economics of Climate Change (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2006).
Barrage, L. & Nordhaus, W. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 121, e2312030121 (2024).
Weitzman, M. L. Rev. Econ. Stat. 91, 1–19 (2009).
Rising, J., Tedesco, M., Piontek, F. & Stainforth, D. A. Nature 610, 643–651 (2022).
Kahn, M. E. et al. Long-term Macroeconomic Effects of Climate Change: A Cross-Country Analysis Working Paper No. 2019/215 (International Monetary Fund, 2019).
Kalkuhl, M. & Wenz, L. J. Environ. Econ. Manage. 103, 102360 (2020).
Pretis, F., Schwarz, M., Tang, K., Haustein, K. & Allen, M. R. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. A 376, 20160460 (2018).
Maddison, D. & Rehdanz, K. Ecol. Econ. 7, 2437–2445 (2011).
Bosello, F. et al. in Adapting to Climate Change in Europe (eds Sanderson, H. et al.) Ch. 5 (Elsevier Inc., 2018).
Kompas, T., Pham, V. H. & Che, T. N. Earth’s Future 6, 1153–1173 (2018).
Roson, R. & Van der Mensbrugghe, D. IJSE 4, 270–285 (2012).
Takakura, J. et al. Nat. Clim. Change 9, 737–741 (2019).
Howard, P. H. & Sterner, T. Environ. Resour. Econ. 68, 197–225 (2017).
Nordhaus, W. D. & Moffat, A. A Survey of Global Impacts of Climate Change: Replication, Survey Methods, and a Statistical Analysis Working Paper 23646 (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2017).
Nordhaus, W. D. Resour. Energy Econ. 15, 27–50 (1993).
Tol, R. S. J. Environ. Resour. Econ. 21, 47–73 (2002).
Dell, M., Jones, B. F. & Olken, B. A. Am. Econ. J. Macroecon. 4, 66–95 (2012).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Morris, J., Rose, S.K., Reilly, J. et al. Reconciling widely varying estimates of the global economic impacts from climate change. Nat. Clim. Chang. 15, 124–127 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-024-02232-7
Published:
Version of record:
Issue date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-024-02232-7