Spend £8bn to kickstart plan to decarbonise economy, chancellor told

Report claims Rishi Sunak has unique opportunity to invest in zero-carbon infrastructure

The author of a groundbreaking report on the economic impact of climate change has called on Rishi Sunak to spend more than 8bn in his first budget next week to kickstart a "massive and long-term" boost to "zero-carbon infrastructure, new skills and sustainable innovation".

Lord Stern said the new chancellor had a unique opportunity to address regional inequalities and invest to meet the government's target for net-zero emissions with measures already highlighted in the Conservative party manifesto.

Related: The Guardian view on Boris Johnson's 'levelling up': there's no quick fix | Editorial

Related: Nicholas Stern: cost of global warming 'is worse than I feared'