Economic impacts of melting of the Antarctic Ice Sheet

Melting of the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) could significantly contribute to global sea level rise (SLR). This study couples models of AIS melting, SLR, and economic impacts of SLR on coastlines worldwide. SLR projections are reported, and coastal impacts are found to be highly heterogeneous, with significant GDP impacts on several countries, primarily Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Proactive coastal planning can dramatically reduce costs. AIS melting increases the social cost of carbon, with a tail risk of very large increases, especially under high emissions scenarios.

Simon Dietz, Felix Koninx