Biden broadens use of social cost of carbon

The Biden administration announced plans Thursday to consider climate costs in a much broader swath of government policies and decisions than ever before — including how the federal government wields its massive buying power.

The social cost of greenhouse gases — a metric for the climate damage done by a ton of carbon dioxide or methane as it enters the atmosphere — has been a regulatory staple for years. But on Thursday the president ordered agencies to get ready to use it consistently in a host of other government activities — including annual budgets, permitting decisions and foreign assistance programs.