There will be both gainers and losers from unchecked greenhouse gas emissions: for some, the benefits received from the use of fossil fuels outweigh the negative effects of climate damages (the "net winners"), while for others damages outweigh benefits (the "net losers"). The current literature of climate-economics modeling tends to obscure these important differences in the distribution of costs and benefits, both within and between countries, with its focus on average possible outcomes over large areas or populations.

The Climate Impact Equity Lens (CIEL, pronounced "see-el") is a new and innovative approach to calculating and reporting climate damages that shines a spotlight on disparate impacts on individuals. Its key insight is the presentation of climate impacts not as global or national averages, but rather for archetypal, or sample, individuals. CIEL results are presented for individuals facing low, medium and high damages in both high-income and low-income countries. This approach reveals the differences that are hidden by aggregating across large groups with wide distributions of circumstances.

CIEL is a project of the Stockholm Environment Institute's (SEI's) Climate Economics Group. Based out of SEI's U.S. Center at Tufts University, the Climate Economics Group plays a unique role in the analysis of climate change and the development of climate policy. Our goal is to create a rigorous, science-based, and accessible economic analysis that demonstrates the urgency and feasibility of large-scale solutions to the climate crisis. Liz Stanton, the CIEL project leader, is an SEI Senior Economist whose research focuses on equity issues in climate-economic analysis.

SEI is an independent international research institute that has been engaged in environment and development issues at local, national, regional and global policy levels for more than 20 years. The Institute has established a reputation for rigorous and objective scientific analysis in the field of environment and development. Its goal is to bring about change for sustainable development by bridging science and policy, and providing integrated analysis that supports decision-makers.

Funding for the CIEL project was provided by the Stockholm Environment Institute.