10 Nations Where Clean Energy Can Save Billions of Dollars

Under the terms of the 2015 Paris Agreement, nearly 200 countries pledged to reduce greenhouse gas and pursue a future in which average global temperatures remain within 1.5°C of pre-industrial levels. While many of the treaty’s signatories invested heavily in the clean energy transition, greenhouse gas emissions have continued to rise, increasing globally by about 9% between 2015 and 2024, according to the World Bank. Now, according to a recent announcement from the United Nations Environment Programme, keeping temperatures within the 1.5°C threshold is no longer possible. 

The UNEP’s findings have significant implications for both the climate and the global economy. The now inevitable warming trajectory we face poses a wide range of threats to natural ecosystems, including species extinction, glacial melt, sea level rise, deforestation, drought, and flooding—all of which will contribute to meaningful economic losses. But while it may be too late to achieve the most ambitious goals outlined in the Paris Agreement, an accelerated adoption of clean energy can still reduce environmental harms—and save trillions of dollars over the coming decades. 

According to projections from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, climate change is projected to reduce global economic output by as much as 9% by the end of the century. However, under a scenario where the pace of clean energy adoption picks up, the economic impact of climate change could be less than 4%. For many of the world’s largest economies, failure to adopt clean energy could come with a price tag in the hundreds of billions. 

Using data from the OECD, Climate Crisis 247 identified the countries where an accelerated clean energy transition will pay off the most. We ranked the 10 countries with the largest economies included in the study on 2025 gross domestic product. For each country, we calculated the impact climate change will have on GDP in the years 2050 and 2100, both under a status-quo scenario, and an accelerated clean energy transition scenario. Calculations were made using forecasted percentages from the OECD and GDP figures for 2025, the latest year of available data from the World Bank. Estimates assume a median climate-related damage curve. 

 10. Brazil

• Projected GDP savings with accelerated clean energy transition (in 2025 dollars): +$32.3 billion by 2050, +$137.2 billion by 2100
• Climate change’s impact on GDP by 2050 (in 2025 dollars): -$112.4 billion on current trajectory, -$80.1 billion with clean energy transition
• Climate change’s impact on GDP by 2100 (in 2025 dollars): -$225.5 billion on current trajectory, -$88.3 billion with clean energy transition
• Gross domestic product in 2025: $2.3 trillion

 9. Canada

• Projected GDP savings with accelerated clean energy transition (in 2025 dollars): +$4.5 billion by 2050, +$19.0 billion by 2100
• Climate change’s impact on GDP by 2050 (in 2025 dollars): -$15.6 billion on current trajectory, -$11.1 billion with clean energy transition
• Climate change’s impact on GDP by 2100 (in 2025 dollars): -$31.2 billion on current trajectory, -$12.2 billion with clean energy transition
• Gross domestic product in 2025: $2.3 trillion

 8. Italy

• Projected GDP savings with accelerated clean energy transition (in 2025 dollars): +$14.5 billion by 2050, +$61.8 billion by 2100
• Climate change’s impact on GDP by 2050 (in 2025 dollars): -$50.6 billion on current trajectory, -$36.1 billion with clean energy transition
• Climate change’s impact on GDP by 2100 (in 2025 dollars): -$101.6 billion on current trajectory, -$39.8 billion with clean energy transition
• Gross domestic product in 2025: $2.6 trillion

 7. France

• Projected GDP savings with accelerated clean energy transition (in 2025 dollars): +$17.0 billion by 2050, +$72.3 billion by 2100
• Climate change’s impact on GDP by 2050 (in 2025 dollars): -$59.2 billion on current trajectory, -$42.2 billion with clean energy transition
• Climate change’s impact on GDP by 2100 (in 2025 dollars): -$118.9 billion on current trajectory, -$46.6 billion with clean energy transition
• Gross domestic product in 2025: $3.4 trillion

 6. India

• Projected GDP savings with accelerated clean energy transition (in 2025 dollars): +$72.6 billion by 2050, +$308.9 billion by 2100
• Climate change’s impact on GDP by 2050 (in 2025 dollars): -$253.0 billion on current trajectory, -$180.4 billion with clean energy transition
• Climate change’s impact on GDP by 2100 (in 2025 dollars): -$507.8 billion on current trajectory, -$198.9 billion with clean energy transition
• Gross domestic product in 2025: $4.0 trillion

 5. United Kingdom

• Projected GDP savings with accelerated clean energy transition (in 2025 dollars): +$18.3 billion by 2050, +$77.7 billion by 2100
• Climate change’s impact on GDP by 2050 (in 2025 dollars): -$63.6 billion on current trajectory, -$45.4 billion with clean energy transition
• Climate change’s impact on GDP by 2100 (in 2025 dollars): -$127.8 billion on current trajectory, -$50.0 billion with clean energy transition
• Gross domestic product in 2025: $4.0 trillion

 4. Japan

• Projected GDP savings with accelerated clean energy transition (in 2025 dollars): +$30.1 billion by 2050, +$127.8 billion by 2100
• Climate change’s impact on GDP by 2050 (in 2025 dollars): -$104.7 billion on current trajectory, -$74.6 billion with clean energy transition
• Climate change’s impact on GDP by 2100 (in 2025 dollars): -$210.1 billion on current trajectory, -$82.3 billion with clean energy transition
• Gross domestic product in 2025: $4.4 trillion

 3. Germany

• Projected GDP savings with accelerated clean energy transition (in 2025 dollars): +$19.3 billion by 2050, +$82.0 billion by 2100
• Climate change’s impact on GDP by 2050 (in 2025 dollars): -$67.2 billion on current trajectory, -$47.9 billion with clean energy transition
• Climate change’s impact on GDP by 2100 (in 2025 dollars): -$134.8 billion on current trajectory, -$52.8 billion with clean energy transition
• Gross domestic product in 2025: $5.1 trillion

 2. China

• Projected GDP savings with accelerated clean energy transition (in 2025 dollars): +$193.4 billion by 2050, +$822.4 billion by 2100
• Climate change’s impact on GDP by 2050 (in 2025 dollars): -$673.7 billion on current trajectory, -$480.2 billion with clean energy transition
• Climate change’s impact on GDP by 2100 (in 2025 dollars): -$1.4 trillion on current trajectory, -$529.6 billion with clean energy transition
• Gross domestic product in 2025: $19.5 trillion

 1. United States

• Projected GDP savings with accelerated clean energy transition (in 2025 dollars): +$176.6 billion by 2050, +$750.2 billion by 2100
• Climate change’s impact on GDP by 2050 (in 2025 dollars): -$614.8 billion on current trajectory, -$438.2 billion with clean energy transition
• Climate change’s impact on GDP by 2100 (in 2025 dollars): -$1.2 trillion on current trajectory, -$483.4 billion with clean energy transition
• Gross domestic product in 2025: $30.8 trillion