A Concise Business Guide to Climate Change: What Managers, Executives, and Students Need to Know

by Gunnar Trumbull

Understanding the ground rules of climate change for business. Climate has changed the game for business around the world. With climate-related disasters causing billions in damage and public pressure rising, over 100 nations have set 2050 net-zero carbon-emissions targets within the framework of the 2015 Paris Agreement. Thousands of companies have registered with the Carbon Disclosure Project. In a recent survey of large, global firms, one-third reported that climate change was already affecting their operations. Business leaders need help navigating this complex, fast-changing environment. In the flood of new policies and information, how can you tell what news matters, and its impact? Which arguments and reports are grounded in sound science and economics, and which are not? This indispensable guidebook by Harvard Business School professor and policy expert Gunnar Trumbull answers this need. As managers around the world confront and educate themselves about how climate change is affecting their businesses, A Concise Business Guide to Climate Change provides a single, short, and accessible account of the information crucial to understanding and addressing these new challenges. What causes climate change? How do countries and companies measure their climate impact? What is the role of carbon markets? How are governments responding? What kind of corporate emissions targets make sense, and how can they be achieved? In crisp, reader-friendly, and data-rich chapters, this book presents the basic scientific, economic, policy, and accounting frameworks that managers need to answer these questions. Whether you read it from start to finish for a complete overview or use it as a reference when confronted with specific challenges, let this book be your go-to business guide for dealing with climate change.

176 pages, Hardcover

Published August 19, 2025

Reviews

[Sandra Castro · Rating 4 out of 5]

• Clear explanations of complexity
Trumbull does a great job breaking down what often feels like a mess of science, policy, economics, and corporate reporting. Things like carbon markets, emission measurement, policy responses—all are made understandable without stringing you along with jargon.

• Actionable for business decision-makers
This isn’t just theory. The book gives tools and frameworks: how to measure your company’s impact, what kinds of targets are realistic, how governments may regulate, what stakeholders are expecting. Useful if you’re trying to figure out what your business should be doing.

• Good balance: urgency + pragmatism
It doesn’t sugarcoat. Trumbull acknowledges the stakes (climate disasters, rising public pressure, regulatory risk), but he also warns against overpromising or misreading what’s feasible. That builds trust. You feel informed, not scared.

• Conciseness & readability
The guide hits the sweet spot between being comprehensive enough to matter and short enough to actually finish. It’s also nicely structured so you can dip into parts you need (policy, measurement, etc.).

[The Boardroom Bibliophile · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book does exactly what it promises. A sharp, compact companion (~170 pages) for executives who need a sustainability refresher or for climate professionals who want to sharpen their narrative.

As a sustainability professional, here are three reasons I loved this book:
1. Explains climate science in a digestible way, without boiling the ocean
2. Distills decades of climate policy into takeaways executives can act on
3. Cuts through jargon to clarify how climate risks translate into financial risks

It releases on August 19 and I’ve already ordered a physical copy. (Thank you Netgalley and HBR press for an advance copy!)

This is definitely one to keep within arm’s reach!