Climate Change: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review

by Harvard Business Review, Andrew Winston, Andrew McAfee

Climate change is threatening our world. How are you responding? Heat waves, flooding, extreme storms, harsh winters. The effects of climate change are only getting worse. How can you ensure your organization is taking the right steps to mitigate this threat--and what can you, as an individual, do to help? These articles by experts and researchers will help you understand how climate change is affecting the future of business. Climate The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review will prepare you to join in the current discussion, identify immediate and long-term risks for your company, and plan for the future. Business is changing. Will you adapt or be left behind? Get up to speed and deepen your understanding of the topics that are shaping your company's future with the Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review series. Featuring HBR's smartest thinking on fast-moving issues--blockchain, cybersecurity, AI, and more--each book provides the foundational introduction and practical case studies your organization needs to compete today and collects the best research, interviews, and analysis to get it ready for tomorrow. You can't afford to ignore how these issues will transform the landscape of business and society. The Insights You Need series will help you grasp these critical ideas--and prepare you and your company for the future.

Genres: Business, Climate Change, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Science, Environment

176 pages, Paperback

First published September 22, 2020

Reviews

[Paulius Pikelis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found it to be a very good and structured overview of the topic.

Notes for myself:
1. Company actions available
- political influence (subsidies, excise tax, retraining, relocation)
- empower stakeholders (work together to find clean solutions, adjust own products, kick suppliers with high emissions, set KPIs, encourage consumers use less)
- retrink investments and business models (squeeze carbon in every step in value chain)
2. Countries
- global rules matter
- national reg reduces footprint, but biggest polluters relocate (it's their business model)
- polluters: electricity, gas, refineries, steam, aircon, ships, planes, mineral and metal producers
- low policies: trinidad, bosnia, slovakia, suriname, barbados
3. New tools to push green agenda
- impact bonds
- socially active index funds
- impact investments (e.g. invest in 100 projects - few will succeed & repay all)
4. Dematerialization
- new tech helps (online=less paper)
- less timber, metal water as economy grows
- developing nations - already use advanced infrastructure solutions
5. Degrowth
- longer product lifespan
- modular, locally produced
- value chain check
- standard setting in industry (tesla, patagonia)
6. Crypto is bad as uses loads of energy
- Proof of work ==> Proof of stake
- use green energy for mining (+incentives)
7. Assets
- reinforce important buildings against disasters
- rebuild elsewhere
- learn to live (if cheap)
- rebuild if money available (last resort)
- restrict building/buying in zones (insurances lead way already, but govt insurance subsidize)
8. Catastrophe
- anticipate (BCM, location, insurance)
- cope & adapt (grief, emotional support, solidarity)
9. New generation
- leading change already
- business needs to adaprmt or risk losing generation of workers / customers
- companies will require to 'take a stand'

[cypher · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting book, very informative, i got some new things to think about, for example: de-growth, de-materialistic living, blue bonds and environmental derivative products. well written and easy to follow. i deducted 1 star because it's offering just a summary-like state-of-the-art walkthrough of things, and not also offering an opinion and a recommendation. what is truly ethical? i would like books like this to venture out and take a stand more.

[Greg Hawod · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are an avid reader of HBR articles and wanted to know the best ones on climate change, here is the book for you. The articles are carefully selected to provide a balanced view of climate change. It provides different perspectives and approaches on how businesses are dealing with this phenomenon.

[Neha Shaah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview of the topic. Quick read for someone who would like to know what's in it for your business

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I keep thinking about the 5 Rs. also just really in depth information.

“He’s not saying nature is worthless. He’s saying ‘Let's make its economic value low as quickly as possible’.”

Ep100 initiative

“A society that prides itself on free will and self-determination is loath to say what a property owner can and cannot build on their own land as long as it meets rudimentary building and zoning codes. So more and more people move into harm's way.”

“Rebuilding is a great choice particularly if you are rich or if you can use someone else's money.”

“Five basic choices in investing in climate resilience can be used to help you decide what to do with assets exposed to climate risk: reinforce… retreat… rebound… rebuild… restrict.”