The Department of Energy (DOE) finalized a rule at the end of May that mandates the amount of energy microwaves can use on standby mode starting in 2016. The DOE tries to legitimize the rule by saying that the alleged social cost of carbon (SCC) is more than it was in 2011—in fact, almost 50 percent more.
According to the EPA’s website, the SCC is a broad estimate of economic damages associated with global warming from emitting one ton of carbon dioxide in a year. Lawmakers use it to assess the costs and benefits of new regulation.
The range and volatility of the estimates show just how speculative SCC calculations are. Some scientists argue that the benefits of carbon dioxide (increasing agricultural productivity, for instance) are undercounted and that unlikely negative impacts are given undue weight.
