Wednesday 16th February 2011
Trillions of dollars at stake from climate change over next 20 years – collaborative study led by Mercer
• Climate change could contribute as much as 10% to investment portfolio risk over the next 20 years
• Investors could benefit from increased allocation to infrastructure, real estate, private equity, agriculture
land, timberland and sustainable assets
• Investment requirements in low carbon technology could be as high as USD$5 trillion by 2030
• Institutional investors have numerous options for capitalising on opportunities and managing risks arising from
climate change
Continued delay in climate change policy action and lack of international coordination could cost institutional
investors trillions of dollars over the coming decades, according to research released by Mercer and a group of leading
global investors representing around US$2 trillion in assets under management[1].
Andrew Kirton, Global Chief Investment Officer at Mercer, said climate change brings fundamental implications for
investment patterns, risks and rewards.
“Institutional investors should be factoring long-term considerations, such as climate change, into their strategic
planning. Mercer is pleased to have had the opportunity to kick start such strategic discussions with a group of leading
global investors”, Mr Kirton said.
Helga Birgden, Head of Responsible Investing for Asia Pacific at Mercer said the report highlights threats and
opportunities for investors in Australia and New Zealand.
“This region in particular is vulnerable to environmental impacts and is therefore exposed to climate change, as a mega
theme, in a range of areas. On the flip side, our region is leading developments in low carbon technology which creates
investment opportunities and the potential for economic transformation.”
“It’s important that in the face of climate change investors are developing new strategies to ensure their resilience
over time. We are advising investors to increase their allocation to ’climate sensitive’ assets to mitigate risks but
also capture the new investment opportunities. Additionally, investors can engage with policy makers to minimise the
risk of poorly co-ordinated and delayed climate policy action on investment portfolios.”
The report Climate Change Scenarios – Implications for Strategic Asset Allocation analyses the potential financial impacts of climate change on investors’ portfolios, identified through a series of four
climate change scenarios playing out to 2030. The report identifies a series of pragmatic steps for institutional
investors to consider in their strategic asset allocation.
In the report, a framework is outlined that can be used by institutional investors to enhance their understanding of
climate-related investment risks and opportunities across asset classes and regions. Mercer’s ‘TIP Framework’ estimates
the rate of investment into low carbon technologies (T), the impacts (I) on the physical environment and the implied
cost of carbon resulting from global policy (P) developments across the four climate scenarios.
Some of the key findings show that by 2030:
Climate change increases uncertainty for long term institutional investors and as such, needs to be pro-actively
managed.
Investment requirements in low carbon technologies could reach USD$5 trillion.
The cost of impacts on the physical environment, health and food security could exceed USD$4 trillion.
Climate change related policy changes could increase the cost of carbon emissions by as much as USD$8 trillion.
Increasing allocation to ‘climate sensitive’ assets will help to mitigate risks and capture new opportunities.
Engagement with policy makers is crucial for institutional investors to pro-actively manage the potential costs
of delayed and poorly co-ordinated climate policy action.
Policy developments at the country level will produce new investment opportunities as well as risks that need to
be constantly monitored.
The EU and China/East Asia are set to lead investment in low carbon technology and efficiency improvements over
the coming decades.
The launch of the report and the Mercer TIP Framework represents a collaborative endeavour led by Mercer which involved 14 global institutional investors, and was supported by International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, and Carbon Trust. Grantham
LSE/Vivid Economics were engaged to lead components of the research on the economic impacts of climate change scenarios
and a research group comprised of industry practitioners and academics was consulted in the development of the model.
Project partners, in commenting on the research and its outcomes, said;
“VicSuper has taken an active position in integrating sustainability into its investment strategy. This has involved
investing in low-carbon equity funds such as the Vanguard Carbon Aware International Shares Fund, as well as in venture
capital clean technology which in turn invests in technology and products providing solutions to environmental
challenges. Our participation in this Climate Change Scenarios report has assisted our thinking in how to integrate
climate change risk and opportunity into our investment strategy, and also in ways to access a robust and defensible
methodology to assess the possible risk and return implications of climate change. We do this for the benefit of our
more than 250,000 members.” Peter Lunt, Head of Investment Research, VicSuper
"That climate change poses significant financial and economic risks has only been accentuated by the tens of billions of
dollars in losses due to recent climate related natural disasters such as the floods in Australia and Pakistan and the
wildfires in Russia. This study makes a significant contribution to our ability to measure the level of risk that
climate change creates for investment portfolios. Managing that risk in a way that maintains the returns expected by
beneficiaries is a crucial responsibility for the management of these investment portfolios. This report provides some
practical steps that investors can take today to shift their asset allocation to manage climate change risks and finance
the much needed infrastructure for a lower carbon future."
Rachel Kyte, Vice President at IFC
"This report is unique and ground-breaking in quantifying the increased portfolio risk arising from global efforts to
tackle climate change. It demonstrates that unless this risk is tackled intelligently by increasing exposure to green
asset classes, then long term rewards will fall. The findings undermine any notion of a conflict between investing in
green assets and acting in beneficiaries long term financial interests. This will have profound implications for
fiduciary duties and places a clear obligation to increase analysis of the consequences of climate change for portfolio
management."
Bruce Duguid, Head of Investor Engagement, Carbon Trust
ENDS