In the NewsScience MagazineAugust 24, 2017

Trump’s attack on social cost of carbon could end up hurting his fossil fuel push

President Donald Trump’s efforts to boost fossil fuel extraction face a courtroom hurdle of his own making. His March 28 executive order “promoting energy independence and economic growth” rescinded the Obama administration’s calculation of the “social cost of carbon” — a metric that had been central to the process of crafting and justifying government rules addressing human-driven climate change. Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago's Michael Greenstone, co-director of the Impact Lab, comments on the move, explaining there is really no legally defensible stance for having no social cost of carbon.