Invest now to beat climate change, says departing BHP CEO

Putting off investments to deal with climate change could leave business unprepared if the consequences turn out as bad or worse than feared, with potentially catastrophic economic costs, departing BHP chief executive Andrew Mackenzie says.

But the cost of acting early - and finding out climate change is not as bad as feared - might only be a few per cent of GDP, Mr Mackenzie told The Australian Financial Review in an exclusive interview ahead of his year-end retirement.