Existing estimates of optimal climate policy ignore the possibility that carbon tax revenues could be used in a progressive way; model results therefore typically imply that near-term climate action comes at some cost to the poor. Using the Nested Inequalities Climate Economy (NICE) model, we show that an equal per capita refund of carbon tax revenues implies that achieving a 2 °C target can pay large and immediate dividends for improving well-being, reducing inequality and alleviating poverty. In an optimal policy calculation that weighs the benefits against the costs of mitigation, the recommended policy is characterized by aggressive near-term climate action followed by a slower climb towards full decarbonization; this pattern—which is driven by a carbon revenue Laffer curve—prevents runaway warming while also preserving tax revenues for redistribution. Accounting for these dynamics corrects a long-standing bias against strong immediate climate action in the optimal policy literature.

现有的最佳气候政策估计忽略了碳税收入可以以渐进方式使用的可能性；因此，模型结果通常意味着近期气候行动会让穷人付出一定的代价。利用嵌套不平等气候经济 (NICE) 模型，我们表明，人均碳税收入返还意味着实现 2°C 目标可以为改善福祉、减少不平等和减轻贫困带来巨大而直接的红利。在权衡缓解收益与成本的最佳政策计算中，建议的政策的特点是近期采取积极的气候行动，然后缓慢地实现全面脱碳；这种由碳收入拉弗曲线驱动的模式可以防止失控的变暖，同时也保留税收收入用于再分配。考虑到这些动态，纠正了最佳政策文献中长期以来对立即采取强有力的气候行动的偏见。