Getting to net zero could require almost $10 trillion of metals between now and 2050, according to BNEF, with annual demand peaking at close to $450 billion in the mid-2030s. While steel and aluminum are expected to see the most demand growth in terms of absolute volume, copper is set to be the most valuable opportunity, with an estimated $3.4 trillion of the red metal needed to avert climate disaster.

In total, a whopping 5.2 billion metric tons of metals will be necessary to underpin a net-zero transition, with nearly four times as much metal due to be consumed in 2050 versus today.

 

Eoin Treacy's view

I continue to be amazed at how the word trillion is bandied about when it comes to spending plans for renewable energy. In 2020 total global copper consumption was 23.6 million tonnes and is probably around 25 million this year.