This report argues that smart development policies and projects can also slow the pace of adverse climate changes and that the objectives of economic development and climate protection can compliment one another. It uses new modelling tools to examine the range of benefits ambitious climate mitigation policies can produce across the transportation, industry and building sectors in the United States, China, the European Union, India, Mexico and Brazil. It also describes the multiple benefits of four development project simulations scaled up to the national level.

The report builds on recent efforts to estimate the development benefits that come with a reduction in climate pollutants. These include economic growth, new jobs, improved crop yields, enhanced energy security, healthier people, and millions of lives saved.