R. Daniel (Danny) Bressler
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rdbressler.bsky.social
R. Daniel (Danny) Bressler
@rdbressler.bsky.social
Assistant Professor of Economics @BentleyU | Formerly Climate Staff Economist @WhiteHouseCEA, PhD @Columbia @SipaSusDev
Job Market Done ✅ I'm thrilled to announce that I will be an Assistant Professor in Economics at Bentley University this fall.

I'm excited to join a great group of colleagues and to move back to Boston!
April 21, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Thank you! As to your question, we have a paragraph discussing this in paragraph 3 of our discussion section.

@sciencedjv.bsky.social had some really nice intuitive explanations as well in his interview with NPR discussing the paper. www.npr.org/2024/12/06/n...
December 7, 2024 at 6:25 PM
Across each of the four emissions scenarios we consider from very optimistic to very pessimistic, temp-related deaths increase for <35, as greater mortality from more heat exposure outweighs less mortality from less cold exposure for this age group that is comparatively more vulnerable to heat….
December 6, 2024 at 10:09 PM
...younger individuals are much more vulnerable to hot days that occur more frequently. E.g., when daily avg. temp is 21°C wet bulb (equivalent to 34°C/93°F with 30% humidity), we see significantly elevated mortality for <35 year-olds, but no elevated mortality for 50+
December 6, 2024 at 10:09 PM
An important driver of these findings: while older individuals are the most vulnerable on an absolute basis to the most extreme record-breaking temperatures, e.g. daily average temps of 30°C wet bulb temperature (which is equivalent to 45°C/ 114°F & 30% humidity)...
December 6, 2024 at 10:09 PM
When we consider lost life years, the age-specific inequality is more extreme: 87% of heat-related lost life years occur among under-35-year-olds.
December 6, 2024 at 10:09 PM
We calculate the total number of heat-related deaths associated with hot and cold temperatures across age groups, and we found something surprising: the majority of heat-related deaths are among younger people: 75% of heat-related deaths occurred in individuals under 35.
December 6, 2024 at 10:09 PM
We use Mexico’s excellent mortality microdata, which breaks down deaths by age, to estimate relationships between mortality risk and wet-bulb temperature exposure by age group.
December 6, 2024 at 10:09 PM
Much more in the full paper! Lots more applied economic theory and climate-economy modeling, and some new empirical results as well.
December 2, 2024 at 3:55 PM
Fourth, I find that the choice of valuing lives is now the most consequential choice in determining the value of the SCC.

Much of the previous focus was on discounting (how to value the future). E.g., Stern and Nordhaus had a spirited debate on discounting parameters nearly 20 years ago...
December 2, 2024 at 3:54 PM
I apply these MCC and SCC results to the Inflation Reduction Act, which saves an estimated 2.8M lives through GHG reductions, with monetary benefits ranging from $4.7T-$74T depending on the approach to valuing lives and livelihoods.
December 2, 2024 at 3:53 PM
Third, I calculate the SCC across four major monetization approaches—i.e., approaches to valuing lives and livelihoods—with support in the literature and practice.

Because deaths in the MCC are substantial and overwhelmingly concentrated in poorer countries, the SCC is extremely sensitive to this
December 2, 2024 at 3:52 PM
Second, I provide the first estimate of the MCC broken down by country.

I find that deaths from extra emissions occur overwhelmingly in poorer countries in the global south.
December 2, 2024 at 3:51 PM
I make four main novel contributions to the Literature.

First, I provide the first estimates of the MCC in a latest-generation climate-economy-mortality model responsive to the National Academies’ 2017 suggestions.
December 2, 2024 at 3:50 PM
In my #JMP, I use a climate-economy-mortality SCC model updated to the best available that integrates a country-level mortality damage function that accounts for the benefit of future income growth in reducing vulnerability to heat into a climate-economy model.

Model Summary:
December 2, 2024 at 3:50 PM
In 2017, @nasem-climate.bsky.social wrote a report on improving the scientific basis for the SCC. They emphasized damages should be shown in physical and monetized units to increase transparency.

This is especially important for mortality as deaths must be converted into $ to calculate the SCC
December 2, 2024 at 3:47 PM
But in latest-generation models, mortality represents the majority of climate damages. Here is a table from
EPA's 2023 social cost of carbon update broken down by damage category for Climate Impact Lab DSCIM and
@rffresources.bsky.social GIVE damage modules. Health is temperature-related mortality
December 2, 2024 at 3:46 PM
What’s the most important choice in determining the social cost of carbon (SCC)?

My #EconJMP shows that because deaths from emitting CO2 are large and concentrated in poor countries, valuing lives is the most consequential choice in determining the SCC in latest-gen models, more than discounting 🧵👇
December 2, 2024 at 3:41 PM
A: It makes the SCC go way up, and the disproportionate mortality impact on the global poor is the largest driver of this increase.

Joint work with an all-star team @naomishimberg.bsky.social
@bryanparthum.bsky.social @davidjsmithecon.bsky.social Lisa Rennels, Frank Errickson, and David Anthoff
November 26, 2024 at 8:33 PM
We found surprising age-specific inequality between the impacts of heat and cold.
Heat: 75% of heat-related deaths were among those under 35.
Cold: 96% of cold-related deaths are among those over 50.

This is now accepted for publication, so more to come soon...
November 26, 2024 at 8:25 PM
Are you interested in the health and economic impacts of climate change?

I've spent my PhD researching this. Now I'm on the job market!

Thread below highlighting my published/working papers from my first publication to my #JMP

I'll start with my first publication, in @naturecomms.bsky.social
November 26, 2024 at 8:05 PM