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Global warming comes with a big price tag for every country in the world. The 80 percent reduction in U.S. emissions needed to stop climate change may not come cheaply, but the cost of failing to act will be much greater. New research shows that if present trends continue, the total cost of global warming will be as high as 3.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Four global warming impacts alone -- hurricane damage, real estate losses, energy costs, and water costs -- will come with a price tag of 1.8 percent of U.S. GDP, or almost $1.9 trillion annually (in today's dollars) by 2100. We know how to avert most of these damages through strong action to reduce the emissions that cause global warming. But the longer we wait, the more painful -- and expensive -- the consequences will be.

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The Global Warming Price Tag in Four Impact Areas, 2025 through 2100
	Cost in billions of 2006 dollars				U.S. Regions Most at Risk
	2025	2050	2075	2100
Hurricane Damages	$10	$43	$142	$422	Atlantic & Gulf Coast states
Real Estate Losses	$34	$80	$173	$360	Atlantic & Gulf Coast states
Energy-Sector Costs	$28	$47	$82	$141	Southeast & Southwest
Water Costs	$200	$336	$565	$950	Western states
	$271	$506	$961	$1,873

	Download the full report.

OVERVIEW & QUICK REFERENCE
Press release
Fact sheet

FULL REPORT IN PDF
Adobe Acrobat file (size: 487 k)
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary
Chapter 1: The Global Warming Price Tag Under Business-as-Usual Emissions
Chapter 2: More Intense Hurricanes Cause Financial Damage
Chapter 3: Real Estate Losses as a Result of Sea Level Rise
Chapter 4: Costly Changes to the Energy Sector
Chapter 5: Water and Agriculture Hit Hard by Global Warming
Chapter 6: Modeling U.S. Climate Impacts: Beyond the Stern Review
Chapter 7: Conclusion
Chapter 8: NRDC's Policy Recommendations
Endnote

last revised 5/21/2008