Climate Capitalists

Abstract

In theory, a cost of capital channel can incentivize green investments like a carbon tax. This channel requires that firms perceive the cost of green capital as lower than that of brown capital. Using hand-collected data, we show that green firms have indeed perceived their cost of capital to be 1 percentage point lower since 2016, when climate concerns by financial investors and governments surged. Moreover, some energy firms have used a lower cost of capital for their green divisions. The findings suggest that the cost of capital can incentivize capital reallocation toward greener investments across firms and within firms.

Keywords: Cost of capital, sustainable investing, ESG, climate change, green transition, green investment