The unaccounted-for climate costs of materials

Abstract

Materials production is a primary driver of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions; yet the externalized costs of these emissions on society are not reflected in market prices. Here, we estimate the externalized climate costs from materials production in the United States at approximately 79 billion USD per annum, and we highlight disparities in materials pricing. Proper accounting for such disparities can be leveraged to drive breakthroughs in technologies used for our material resources and manufacturing.