The Climate Impact Lab (CIL) has developed the Data-driven Spatial Climate Impact Model (DSCIM), a robust, empirically-based model for estimating SCGHGs that is grounded in the best available science and economics and is consistent with recommendations set out by the National Academies of Sciences (NASEM). The theory, framework, and implementation of the CIL’s complete approach has been peer-reviewed and is published in Nature and The Quarterly Journal of Economics, with many technical elements, including the construction of empirical damage functions and valuation of uncertain and unequal local impacts, published in our earlier 2017 Science article. In this user manual, we provide an overview of the key components of an implementation of DSCIM, referred to as DSCIM-EPA, for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s September 2022 draft technical report, "Report on the Social Cost of Greenhouse Gases: Estimates Incorporating Recent Scientific Advances."

This paper estimates that the release of an additional ton of carbon dioxide today will cause mean damages to global mortality risk valued at $36.6 under a high emissions scenario and $17.1 under a moderate scenario, using a 2% discount rate that is justified by US Treasury rates over the last two decades. It is a core input to the Climate Impact Lab's Data-driven Spatial Climate Impact Model (DSCIM).