Nature Climate Change · 24 September 2026 · From issue 42
The impact of financing cost differences on global energy and industry decarbonization
Ignoring higher borrowing costs in poorer nations raises global climate costs by about 9%.
Paul Waidelich, Constance Crassier et al.
Big climate models used to plan carbon cuts often assume every country can borrow money for green projects just as cheaply. But poorer countries usually pay more to borrow. When a model adds these real borrowing costs, the total cost of fighting climate change through 2100 rises by about 9%. Cheaper climate fixes then shift toward richer, lower-risk countries instead of being spread more evenly.
The rise in projected global climate mitigation costs through 2100 when borrowing costs vary by country.
One model's projection, not real spending data from any country.
Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 6 October 2026. Retraction record: none. DOI resolves at doi.org. Metadata record found (Nature Climate Change). Read the source
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