Co-Benefits of Climate Policy

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) initially distinguished between side effects specific to climate change policy (ancillary benefits) and side effects of any policy (co-benefits). However, it has since 2018 used “co-benefits” for both, defined as “a positive effect that a policy or measure aimed at one objective has on another objective, thereby increasing the total benefit to society or the environment” (IPCC, 2022).