Interestingly, the review found limited use of the SCC in long-term climate
change policy. The UK has adopted a long-term GHG reduction goal. This
was published in the 2003 Energy White Paper (DTI, 2003), which set out the
longer term framework for the UK’s energy policy and accepted that the UK
should put itself on a path to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by some 60%
(from 1990 levels) by 2050. The white paper analysis did consider the SCC in
the analysis of the necessary short-term steps towards this goal (until 2020), but
the value was not used explicitly (in published material) in cost-benefit analysis
of the long-term goal. This is consistent with the general finding (reflected in
the study stakeholder analysis, see below) that for longer-term climate change
policy, cost-benefit analysis is rarely used, and is the subject of considerable
debate. The study also reviewed the use of SCC estimates in policy in other
countries/organisations and found very limited current use with only a handful
of examples and no routine application of such estimates.