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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 10, 2025

Measurements of CO2 Fluxes at Non-Ideal Eddy Covariance Sites

Measurements of CO2 Fluxes at Non-Ideal Eddy Covariance Sites

Published on: June 24, 2019

Quantifying the global climate feedback from energy-based adaptation.

Alexander C Abajian¹, Tamma Carleton^2,3, Kyle C Meng^4,5,6

¹Department of Economics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA. alexander_abajian@ucsb.edu.

Nature Communications

|April 25, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Climate adaptation through energy use may cool the planet, not warm it. This energy-based adaptation can reduce global temperatures and save trillions in damages, aiding climate change mitigation efforts.

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Surface Renewal: An Advanced Micrometeorological Method for Measuring and Processing Field-Scale Energy Flux Density Data

Surface Renewal: An Advanced Micrometeorological Method for Measuring and Processing Field-Scale Energy Flux Density Data

Published on: December 12, 2013

Area of Science:

Climate Science
Environmental Economics
Energy Policy

Background:

Behavioral responses to climate change, such as increased energy use for cooling, can be carbon-intensive.
This raises concerns about adaptation strategies potentially exacerbating global warming through a positive feedback loop.

Purpose of the Study:

To empirically forecast the impact of future adaptive energy use on global average temperatures throughout the 21st century.
To quantify the economic damages avoided and the effect on national mitigation commitments.

Main Methods:

Developed an empirical approach to model energy-based adaptation.
Forecasted global mean surface temperature changes under Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5.
Estimated economic damages and impacts on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

Main Results:

Energy-based adaptation is projected to lower global mean surface temperature by 0.07 to 0.12°C by 2099.
This cooling effect avoids $0.6 to $1.8 trillion in damages (2019 USD).
Business-as-usual adaptive energy use reduces emissions for 85% of countries, lowering required mitigation for NDCs by an average of 20%.

Conclusions:

Adaptive energy use, contrary to concerns, is unlikely to accelerate warming.
Significant economic benefits and reduced mitigation burdens are associated with energy-based adaptation.
Findings have crucial implications for countries' existing climate mitigation commitments and strategies.