Abatement Cost Curve
An abatement cost curve ranks emission reduction measures by cost per tonne of CO₂e avoided, helping organisations prioritise investments from lowest to highest cost.
What is Abatement Cost Curve?
Also known as a marginal abatement cost curve (MACC), this tool plots available reduction measures on a chart with cost per tonne on the y-axis and reduction potential on the x-axis, ordered from cheapest to most expensive. Measures below the x-axis have negative cost (they save money), making them no-regret investments. The curve helps organisations plan their decarbonisation pathway by tackling cheap wins first and understanding the cost of deeper reductions.
Practical Examples
A manufacturer’s MACC shows that LED lighting saves £150 per tCO₂e avoided (negative cost), while hydrogen-based process heat costs £200 per tCO₂e avoided.
A property company uses an abatement cost curve to prioritise building retrofits, starting with insulation (negative cost) before moving to heat pump installations (£50/tCO₂e).
How Climatise Helps
Climatise provides the granular emissions data by source and activity needed to build abatement cost curves and prioritise reduction investments.
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