Ahead of COP26, Bank of America Global Research has issued a net-zero primer and stocks picks report, which predicts that $5 trillion will need to be invested every year for the next 30 years, if global emissions targets are to be reached.
The total cost of the transition, predicts B of A, will be $150 trillion - that’s three times the value of the Covid-19 stimulus bill this decade. What’s more, decarbonisation efforts could boost global inflation by up to 3% a year as central bank balance sheet funding rises by $500 billion per annum. “It’ll certainly be expensive,” reads the report, “but we believe it can be done with technology, the economy, markets and ESG joining forces.” The cost of inaction, however, could even be more significant: over 3% of GDP could be lost every year by 2030, growing to $69 trillion by 2100, says Bank of America Global Research. In addition, around 5% - approximately $2.3 trillion - of global equity stock market value could be wiped out by climate policy re-pricing.