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Europe’s Green Opportunity

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Now that the European Union has committed billions of dollars to stimulus spending geared toward confronting climate change, political and business leaders must ensure that these funds deliver the best possible return. Fortunately, there is no shortage of investment opportunities on offer.

BRUSSELS – The COVID-19 crisis has presented Europe with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to launch a new era of economic growth. If the private sector and governments across the European Union work together on bold, innovative policies in the near term, they can address not only the current crisis but also foster steady business investment and the creation of good jobs well into the future.

The EU is moving forward with €750 billion ($888 billion) of new stimulus spending as part of its Next Generation EU initiative, over one-third of which is earmarked for projects related to climate change, including research into low-carbon solutions. As this funding makes its way into the real economy, it will broaden understanding of how climate-related investments can positively affect the communities where we live and the businesses where we work.

To ensure maximum impact, Capgemini Invent recently released “Fit for Net-Zero,” a first-of-its-kind economic analysis of the current investment opportunities on offer. Commissioned by Breakthrough Energy, a network of climate-oriented entities and initiatives backed by the philanthropist Bill Gates, the report identifies 55 low-carbon, real-world projects across Europe that are ripe for investment.

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