The total cost of the transition, predicts Bank of America, 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, with a “potentially extreme hit to corporate earnings for certain sectors.”
For some sectors, however, the transition will create opportunities. Enablers like renewables, hydrogen, electric vehicles, sustainable batteries, biofuels, and industrials, can expect a deluge of investment.
With a combined market cap of over US$1tn, and significant exposure to climate solutions, here are Bank of America’s stock picks to buy ahead of COP26:
Renewables (US, EMEA, APAC)
Industrials (Energy Efficiency, Electrification)
Hydrogen (Industrial Gases, Electrolysers)
Biofuels (Ethanol, Biogas, Biodiesel)
Electric Vehicles (EVs, Batteries)
Energy Transition (CCS)
