"Under the low-emissions scenario, the authors estimate that rising temperatures would reduce the growth rate of GDP by 0.2 to 0.4 percentage points from 2070 through 2099, or as much as 10 percent of the historical average annual growth rate of 4 percent. Under the high-emissions scenario, rising temperatures could reduce the growth rate by up to a 1.2 percentage point, or roughly one-third of the historical average annual GDP growth rate," said the report, though it added that these estimates should be "interpreted with caution," since future adaptations to changing temperatures may mute the long-run effects they calculate.

This is not the first time a government agency has focused on the economic impact of climate change. In 2010, the Securities and Exchange Commission released guidance saying certain existing disclosure rules may require a company to disclose the impact that business or legal developments related to climate change may have on its business. Years later, the SEC investigated Exxon over misleading investors on the impact that climate change could have on its business, though this probe was recently abandoned, with the SEC now declining to pursue any further action related to the matter.