Fact brief – Is climate change a net benefit for society?
Posted on 19 April 2025 by Sue Bin Park
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline.
Is climate change a net benefit for society?
Human-caused climate change has been a net detriment to society as measured by loss of life, economic harm and ecosystem damage.
Between 2000 and 2019, climate change caused $2.86 trillion in damages from extreme weather like storms, floods, droughts, and wildfires. Nearly 61,000 net deaths were linked to climate change during this time.
Ocean acidification from CO2 emissions has degraded coral reefs, which provide trillions of dollars in ecosystem services annually by sustaining fisheries and protecting coasts.
Habitat loss from climate change has contributed to an extinction rate at least 100 times higher than pre-industrial times.
And while some regions have seen short-term agricultural benefits like longer growing seasons, climate change has negatively impacted overall crop output; one study estimated global productivity is 20% lower than it would have been without climate change.
As global temperatures continue to rise, these and other issues are projected to worsen.
Go to full rebuttal on Skeptical Science or to the fact brief on Gigafact
This fact brief is responsive to quotes such as the one in this video.
Sources
Nature The global costs of extreme weather that are attributable to climate change
World Economic Forum Climate change is costing the world $16 million per hour: study
Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit Climate economics – costs and benefits
WHO Climate change
NOAA Are there positive benefits from global warming?
NASA Vanishing Corals: NASA Data Helps Track Coral Reefs
MIT Science Policy Review Coral reefs are critical for our food supply, tourism, and ocean health. We can protect them from climate change
Science Advances Accelerated modern human–induced species losses: Entering the sixth mass extinction
Cornell University Report: Warmer planet will trigger increased farm losses
About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact — a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all of our published fact briefs here.
