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Business & Environment InitiativeBusiness & Environment Initiative   

Inspiring innovation and action at the intersection of business and environment 

Impact Stories 

Shaping the Big Picture

Angela Amos, MBA 2014

Addressing Climate Change through Agriculture

Charley Cummings, MBA 2011

Sustainable Operations

Michael Toffel, Faculty Chair; Senator John Heinz Professor of Environmental Management

Wal-Mart: For Better or Worse

Rebecca Henderson, MBA 1985 Professor, Harvard Business School

Drive Time

Stephanie Wu, MBA 2017

Modeling Change

Taylor Lane, MBA 2018

Opportunities in Resource Industries

Vikas Mouli, MBA 2016

MBA Experience 

As an MBA student at HBS, you will prepare yourself for leadership in a rapidly changing world in which natural resources are increasingly scarce and the threat of climate change ever more urgent.
→How organizations can connect with students

Faculty & Research 

Accounting for Product Impact in the Airlines Industry

  • 11 JAN 2021
  • | 
  • Working Paper Summaries
A systematic methodology for measuring product impact can be applied across a range of industries. Examining two competitor companies in the airlines industry, this study finds that analyzing each dimension of product impact allows for deeper understanding of each company’s business strategies.

The ESG-Innovation Disconnect: Evidence from Green Patenting

  • 05 JAN 2021
  • | 
  • Working Paper Summaries
Energy-producing firms are more likely to produce “blockbuster” green patents than other firms. Yet energy firms are excluded from many environmental, social, and governance (ESG) funds, and are the targets of divestiture campaigns whose stated aims often include green energy innovation.

PG&E and the First Climate Change Bankruptcy

By: Stuart C. Gilson and Sarah L. Abbott
  • DECEMBER 2020
  • | 
  • Case
In early 2020, the California-based utility PG&E filed a second amended plan of reorganization. PG&E had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the face of more than $30 billion of legal claims brought against it for its alleged role in causing California wildfires. The plan had the support of key creditors and shareholders and a court-appointed committee representing the wildfire victims. However, it faced strong opposition from California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, who was concerned that PG&E’s plan would leave it too highly leveraged, and unable to make necessary investments. Were Newsom’s concerns valid ones? Did the plan as currently envisioned leave the reorganized PG&E with too much debt to meet its obligations to the wildfire victims while still making the necessary investments to update its equipment? And was PG&E prepared for the new reality of climate change?

Accounting for Product Impact in the Consumer Finance Industry

  • 24 NOV 2020
  • | 
  • Working Paper Summaries
A framework and method for measuring and monetizing product impact across industries, applying it to two competitors in the consumer finance space.

Climate Rising Podcast 

Financial Regulation and Climate Risk Management

  • 07 JUL 2020
  • | 
  • Climate Rising
Explore different approaches to modeling and managing climate risk from the vantage points of industry leaders Robert Litterman, a seasoned risk management expert; Nushin Kormi, a specialist in sustainable finance; and Kevin Stiroh, a financial regulator. The discussion, moderated by Professor Ramana Nanda, focuses on the concept of transition risk—the potential consequences if climate regulations are imposed gradually or suddenly—and investment strategies to prepare for and mitigate this risk. This is one of 4 new episodes this summer based on live content from the Harvard Business School Climate Risk conference held earlier in 2020.
Explore different approaches to modeling and managing climate risk from the vantage points of industry leaders Robert Litterman, a seasoned risk management expert; Nushin Kormi, a specialist in sustainable finance; and Kevin Stiroh, a financial regulator. The discussion, moderated by Professor Ramana Nanda, focuses on the concept of transition risk—the potential consequences if climate regulations are imposed gradually or suddenly—and investment strategies to prepare for and mitigate this risk. This is one of 4 new episodes this summer based on live content from the Harvard Business School Climate Risk conference held earlier in 2020.

Videos 

  • 12 Sep 2019

Tackling Climate Change in the MBA Classroom

Tackling Climate Change in the MBA Classroom
  • 12 Sep 2019
  • 12 Sep 2019

Tackling Climate Change in the MBA Classroom

Tackling Climate Change in the MBA Classroom
  • 12 Sep 2019
  • 21 Oct 2020

Prof. Rebecca Henderson’s call to action on climate change

Prof. Rebecca Henderson’s call to action on climate change
  • 21 Oct 2020
  • 21 Oct 2020

Prof. Rebecca Henderson’s call to action on climate change

Prof. Rebecca Henderson’s call to action on climate change
  • 21 Oct 2020

From Business as Usual to Business as Vital

As we increasingly experience the effects of climate change – predicted by scientists over 50 years ago – business is vital.

Executive Education 

An advanced curriculum for corporate and nonprofit executives from all over the world to prepare them for new levels of leadership.
  • Agribusiness Seminar
  • Creating Shared Value: Competitive Advantage through Shared Impact

Alumni 

The Business & Environment Initiative connects alumni with students, faculty, and each other for learning, careers, and impact.

News 

The Future of ESG Is … Accounting?

By: George Serafeim
  • 03 Dec 2020
  • | 
  • Harvard Business Review

US election: What it means for climate change and ESG

Re: Vikram Gandhi
  • 18 Nov 2020
  • | 
  • Financial Times

Building a Just and Climate-Ready Economy in a Post-COVID World

  • 02 Oct 2020
  • | 
  • Harvard Business School
Interested in hearing how you can use your job to make a difference in the world? Check out the Degrees podcast, ho… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Jan 17 2021, 02:51 PM
HBS Environment
@HBSBEI
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@HBSBEI
Looking for a new podcast to explore in 2021? Check out Degrees, hosted by @EnvDefenseFund which features interview… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Jan 16 2021, 05:24 PM
HBS Environment
@HBSBEI
Follow
Interested in hearing how you can use your job to make a difference in the world? Check out the Degrees podcast, ho… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Jan 17 2021, 02:51 PM
HBS Environment
@HBSBEI
Follow

Follow Us

@HBSBEI
Interested in hearing how you can use your job to make a difference in the world? Check out the Degrees podcast, ho… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Jan 17 2021, 02:51 PM
HBS Environment
@HBSBEI
Follow

Follow Us

@HBSBEI
Looking for a new podcast to explore in 2021? Check out Degrees, hosted by @EnvDefenseFund which features interview… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Jan 16 2021, 05:24 PM
HBS Environment
@HBSBEI
Follow

Campus Sustainability

Learn about our environmental stewardship, greenhouse gas reduction, and broad efforts to realize cost savings through efficiency and waste reduction.
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