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APRIL 22, 2022


DOOM AND GLOOM OR ECONOMIC BOOM? OPPORTUNITY IN CLIMATE-POSITIVE INVESTMENT



Each year on 22 April, Earth Day raises awareness for environmental protection
and climate action. As extreme weather events intensify and climate catastrophes
increase, it is evident that 2022’s Earth Day comes at a crisis point for the
planet it celebrates.

The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
states that only immediate, ambitious action will reduce the greatest risks of
devastating climate change. This warning comes as climate change emerges as the
defining crisis of a generation and is increasingly included in mainstream
discourse. This shift into the spotlight also contributes to making climate
change a growing concern in economic financial markets, with clientele and
shareholders placing increasing pressure on businesses to align with the
shifting culture. It is more and more widely recognized that the action needed
to address climate change presents significant economic opportunity to those
ready to take advantage of it.

With this year’s Earth Day theme of “Invest in Our Planet” in mind, we assess
the economic opportunity and co-benefits of nature positive investment,
transitioning to a net zero economy, and strategic climate change adaptation.


NATURE-POSITIVE INVESTMENT SUPPORTS ECONOMIC GROWTH

Nature is critical to economic activity, with over 50% of the world’s economic
output (around US$ 44tn) moderately to highly dependent upon it. We rely on
nature at the most basic level for food, water and shelter. It also provides
oxygen, supports nutrient cycles, and regulates climate and disease, in addition
to holding intrinsic worth as an asset that, beyond its economic use value,
nurtures and nourishes us. Presently, biodiversity is declining faster than at
any other time in human history, which impedes on nature’s productivity and
resilience and threatens corporate and financial stability.

Managing biodiversity-related risks is now a clearly growing concern for
responsible investors, financial regulators and companies. Moody’s has found a
general lack of disclosures around a company’s commitment to protect
biodiversity, and that commitments, where they exist, are weakly implemented. To
support the need for better disclosure and data, The Taskforce for
Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) recently released a beta version of
a disclosure framework designed to mainstream nature-related risk and
opportunity analysis into financial decision making. The framework assesses
nature-related opportunities in two ways, including where organisations mitigate
nature-loss and where they create products or services that actively halt or
reverse nature loss. Consistent disclosure on how companies act on these
opportunities will provide transparency for investors to align their financing
with nature-positive activities.

Beyond protecting prosperity derived from natural capital, increased investment
in nature-based solutions represents a significant opportunity for economic and
social benefits. Investing in conserving and restoring natural assets is
predicted to help alleviate poverty by supporting low-income economies and
communities where natural capital directly provides the bulk of wealth and jobs.
Investment addressing biodiversity loss can also contribute to climate change
mitigation and adaptation, adding to the economic gains from climate action.


SHORT-TERM COST OF CLIMATE MITIGATION IS OUTWEIGHED BY OVERALL ECONOMIC BENEFITS
OF LIMITING WARMING

Transformation of carbon-intensive activities is critical to achieving net zero
and preventing the worst impacts of climate change. While action needed to
contain warming to 2°C would limit economic growth by an estimated 1.3-1.7%, the
latest IPCC report finds that such potential loss is likely outweighed by the
economic benefit of limiting warming. Moody’s finds that the economic benefit
from the transition to net zero could reach nearly 25% cumulative GDP gain over
the next two decades compared with a scenario in which the world fails to act.

The carbon transition will be a key factor in corporate competitiveness, as
investors increasingly scrutinise net zero commitments and assess
climate-related risk and opportunities. In its report, Ready or Not? Moody’s
finds that early action, in the 2020s, halves a company’s probability of default
and improves financial performance when compared with delayed action.

Companies with clear commitments to net zero will also benefit from positive
reputational effects and likely increased market share. Generation Z, now
maturing into adults, have demonstrated a widespread commitment to making
choices that align with their values, including sustainability and reduced
carbon footprints. Consumers across all generations are increasingly willing to
pay more for a sustainable product, with 90% of Gen Z happy to pay 10% more.

As investors and lenders strive to meet their temperature targets, there are
significant economic and financial opportunities from investing in clean energy
and sustainable products, with demand for climate-friendly goods and services
expected to continue to increase. In the five years leading to 2021, online
searches for sustainable goods rose 71% globally.


ADAPTATION EFFORTS PRESENT SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Greater financing is needed for both mitigation and adaptation to climate
change. Presently, public spending on adaptation and resilience is considerably
lower than for mitigation. Of US$632Bn in climate finance tracked by the Climate
Policy Initiative, only US$46Bn was directed to adaptation initiatives. And
although only 3% of green bonds were allocated to adaptation projects in 2021,
the UNEPFI has estimated that the annual cost of adaptation will be between
US$140Bn-US$300Bn by 2030. This represents a significant investment opportunity
with both direct and indirect benefits, as adaptation projects can be a
cost-effective way of protecting communities while promoting economic
development and growth.

Timely adaptation measures can help to reduce increasing costs from damage and
disruption, and save repeated repair costs. Investing in regional resilience,
such as urban cooling efforts or flood mitigation along a transportation
corridor, helps ensure business continuity by supporting worker health and
minimizing supply chain disruptions. Effective adaptation projects, planned
based on forward-looking climate data and considering local characteristics, can
also generate multiple additional benefits such as improving agricultural
productivity, innovation, health and well-being, food security, livelihoods, and
biodiversity conservation.

In sum, investing in natural capital and climate change mitigation and
adaptation solutions presents enormous opportunities not only for a more
sustainable future, but also to safeguard communities and economies in the
shorter term.

‍

Contact US
Moody’s ESG Solutions
Understand our comprehensive ESG offering
MESG@moodys.com
Media:
Julian Knapp
SVP, Corporate Communications
Sustainability and ESG
julian.knapp@moodys.com
Moody’s Investors Service:
Understanding ESG in credit ratings
Brian Cahill
MD, Global Head of MIS ESG
brian.cahill@moodys.com
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