Business and the environment Books

Book SynopsisSummarizing the current state of knowledge on the links between business and climate change, this timely Handbook analyzes how businesses contribute to and are affected by climate change, looking closely at their centrality in developing and deploying solutions to address this problem.Contributions from a global collection of scholars and practitioners explore a broad range of key industries’ impacts and responses to climate change, examining corporate strategy and leadership in the climate economy, functional perspectives and corporate practice, and climate finance. Chapters use diverse case studies to analyze climate-related business issues, including supply chain management, decarbonization, consumer decision-making, and climate-related financial investments. The Handbook delves deeper into how businesses perceive the issue of climate change, how they are affected by and engage with it, as well as the impact they have and what this impact costs. Forward-thinking, it concludes with reflections from the contributors on what the future holds for businesses and climate change.Covering matters relating to finance, economics, marketing, operations, strategy, leadership and communications, this interdisciplinary Handbook will prove invaluable to students and scholars in business management, sustainability and environmental studies, as well as to sustainability officers (and their staff) in corporations. Addressing, as it does, a wide range of climate-related issues from the corporate standpoint, it will also prove to be a useful resource for policymakers concerned with enabling solutions to climate change.Table of ContentsContents: 1 Introduction to the Handbook of Business and Climate Change 1 Anant K. Sundaram and Robert G. Hansen PART I THE BUSINESS CASE FOR CLIMATE CONCERNS 2 Business and climate change 8 Anant K. Sundaram 3 The end of combustion? 38 David Hone PART II KEY INDUSTRIES: IMPACT AND RESPONSE 4 Banks and climate change risk 58 Edwin Anderson, Ilya Khaykin, Alban Pyanet and Til Schuermann 5 The patchwork quilt: business complexities of decarbonizing the electric sector 89 Scott G. Fisher, Bruce A. Phillips and Mark W. Scovic 6 Implications of fully decarbonizing the electric industry for business: Icarus or Daedalus? 120 Bruce A. Phillips, Scott G. Fisher and Mark W. Scovic 7 Climate change and the insurance industry – risks and opportunities for transitioning to a resilient low carbon economy 145 Maryam Golnaraghi 8 Climate change and aviation 187 Vincent Etchebehere 9 Leaders and laggards: how have oil and gas companies responded to the energy transition? 208 Julia Hartmann, Andrew Inkpen and Kannan Ramaswamy PART III CORPORATE STRATEGY AND LEADERSHIP IN THE CLIMATE ECONOMY 10 Climate change communication strategies 231 Paul Argenti, Posie Holmes and Marloes Smittenaar 11 Corporate strategy and climate change: a nonmarket approach to environmental advantage 251 Thomas C. Lawton and Carl J. Kock 12 Owens Corning: environmental footprint reduction as the foundation for building a net-positive future 271 Frank O’Brien-Bernini and Amanda Meehan 13 Climate preparedness for business resilience 294 Janet Peace and Kristiane Huber PART IV FUNCTIONAL PERSPECTIVES AND CORPORATE PRACTICE 14 The equity value relevance of carbon emissions 326 Peter M. Clarkson, Jody Grewal and Gordon D. Richardson 15 Getting to 2050: transparency for setting and reaching supply chain climate goals 340 Suzanne Greene and Alexis Bateman 16 Commodity supply chain management and climate change: a case study of the palm oil industry 359 Yinjin Lee and Alexis Bateman 17 Carbon pricing 379 Robert G. Hansen 18 Shifting consumers’ decisions towards climate-friendly behavior 405 Rishad Habib and Katherine White PART V CLIMATE FINANCE 19 Mainstreaming climate action in public and private investments: mobilizing finance towards sustainable investments through the bond markets 430 Heike Reichelt, David P. Allen and Scott M. Cantor 20 Green bonds: investor, issuer and climate perspectives 458 Christa Clapp, Keith Lee and Anouk Brisebois 21 Cost of capital and climate risks 480 Gianfranco Gianfrate, Dirk Schoenmaker and Saara Wasama 22 ESG investing 503 Anant K. Sundaram PART VI THE FUTURE 23 Reflections on the future 526 Arranged and edited by Anant K. Sundaram and Robert G. Hansen Index

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Book SynopsisThis volume presents theoretical and empirical research on universities and their entrepreneurial ecosystems to better grasp the connections between universities and their surrounding environments and their engagement with sustainability. The book provides a better understanding of the entrepreneurial characteristics of universities. It examines the ways in which universities’ collaboration and participation in an ecosystem support business and industry transformation. It also investigates how universities function within the university/industry/government/third sector relationship nexus. The book enables the systematisation of the literature while simultaneously builds theory, empirically testing existing theories, and contributes towards a future research agenda geared towards sustainability. The book gathers contributions from varied geographical contexts providing an international perspective.

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Book SynopsisUnlock greater profits. Empower happier and more engaged staff. Foster loyalty and connection with customers. Save your business... and the world. How? It all starts with a Purpose Upgrade.History shows that hard times can lead to the greatest opportunities for renewal. The Purpose Upgrade will support readers in leading enterprises that thrive by solving our most important problems.It shows how businesses can create more compelling benefits for customers, build meaningful livelihoods for colleagues, and unlock superior returns for investors by ''repurposing'' and revitalising the activities they engage in.Meet the social entrepreneur who repurposed the previously ''boring'' trade in office supplies to fund micro-finance initiatives that reach millions of the people most exposed to poverty, so that ''even a bad day at the office saves lives''.Learn how the leaders of a coal-mining business repurposed their enterprise first as an industriTrade ReviewThe Purpose Upgrade is thoughtful, practical and inspiring. The private sector can and must play a key role in overcoming the significant challenges the world is facing. After all, as a business you cannot be successful - nor call yourself successful - in a society that fails. Impact and leadership come with responsibility, and this book offers must-have insights for leaders from across all industries. -- Feike Sijbesma, CEO of Royal DSM (2007–2020), Co-Chair Global Climate Adaptation Centers, Fortune World’s 50 Greatest Leaders (2018) and UN Humanitarian of the Year 2010In today's world every business needs to put purpose above profit. Paul's book is a necessary and enlightening call to action for businesses to re-think why they exist and the implications for everything they say, think and do. -- Mike Berners-Lee, author of There Is No Planet BThe Purpose Upgrade is an important book that feeds the imagination. Most importantly it is a book about emotional intelligence and the energy unlocked by doing the right thing. Never underestimate the power of feeling good about yourself and the people around you. Read this book and become something greater than you previously thought possible. -- Sir Tim Smit KBE, Co-Founder of the Eden projectThis brilliantly original work weaves a fascinating range of cutting-edge ideas into a cogent argument for fundamentally rethinking how organisations understand and pursue their core purpose. As the world faces up to its radically uncertain future, Paul Skinner's highly engaging text challenges us all to create a "Wealth of Change". It is a book full of humanity and hope. -- Gareth Owen OBE, Humanitarian Director of Save the ChildrenPaul Skinner is one of the best and here he tackles the purpose agenda with erudition and originality. His book will be standard reading for everyone who seeks a Purpose Upgrade personally or professionally. -- Sue Unerman, Chief Transformation Officer of MediaCom and co-author of BelongingPaul Skinner has written a most engaging and readable book, both visionary and practical. It builds on his earlier thesis of Collaborative Advantage by challenging organisational leaders to coalesce stakeholders' energies towards higher societal or even global goals. I have personally seen how his ideas have been remarkably effective in the efforts of International Civil Society organisations. The scale of our crises now means we need businesses capable of addressing our greatest challenges and I urge leaders everywhere to answer this timely call to action and follow this greater path to success. -- Sir Brendan Gormley KCMG, former Chief Executive of the Disasters and Emergencies CommitteeIn some ways the tragedy of recent capitalism is that, while it has ostensibly created a breadth of wealth and opportunity, it has narrowed the minds of everyone who participates in it. The shareholder value movement was a great example of this. This book is a necessary and timely contribution to a more organic, more nuanced and more complete appreciation of what a business can achieve. -- Rory Sutherland, Vice-Chair of Ogilvy and The Spectator’s ‘Wikiman’Paul Skinner's latest book, The Purpose Upgrade, has to be an essential read for everyone in business, whether an entrepreneur, CEO or marketing chief - or in fact anyone who cares about the future of humankind. Paul has not only led the way in conscious marketing in the UK as well as globally, but is one of the most intelligent people I know and his perspective on how to combine purpose, business, the future of society and indeed the world is absolutely crucial understanding for us all. -- Lynne Franks OBE, social entrepreneur, author and Founder of the SEED Women’s Leadership PlatformAs we face into what some might argue is the greatest reset of the modern era, The Purpose Upgrade challenges us to think deeply about what purpose really means, while providing us with a framework for bringing true meaning and purpose to organisational culture, aligning corporate aspiration with stakeholder ambition. A must-read for anyone who cares about the role they, and their organisation, play in creating a whole that is much more meaningful than its constituent parts. -- Célia Pronto, Managing Director of Love Home Swap and Non-Executive Director of South East Water, Moto Hospitality and Samworth Brothers

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Book SynopsisCapitalism Is Back: Learn To Live With ItPrivate companies and multinationals make the free-market, capitalist economy work. We have just come through a remarkable period in history, when huge efforts were made by the communists and others to eliminate private enterprise, but it is now back all around the world. Humanity cannot live without companies, but how do we learn to live with them?Instead of eliminating companies we should now accept their contribution to society, but change the law to ensure that with running a business goes the responsibility to help society face the economic, social and especially environmental challenges of the future.Globally human societies are organically developing social structures based on the work of governments, for-profit and non-profit sectors. Now is the time for private enterprises of the for-profit sector to step forward with the other two formal sectors to help humanity face the challenges of the future. We must actively find ways to bring the power and creativity of private enterprise into positively shaping humanity's future.

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Book SynopsisAs consumers demand planet-friendly products and investors look for "green companies" to put their money into, more and more businesses are actively seeking ways to fill this demand. Whether their initial motives are altruistic or not, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and corporate leaders are finding a huge market for green goods and services. Bottom line: Global warming is good for business. In Global Warming Is Good for Business, newspaper journalist K B Keilbach explores the people and forces at work today that deal with and profit from global warming. From universities, whose research projects spin off green business opportunities, to entrepreneurs and large companies scrambling onto the green bandwagon -- all mixed with government agencies attempting to support the effort -- Keilbach''s entertaining narrative reveals an expansive community coming together to change the world and make a profit, one joule at a time.

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Book SynopsisThe world is functioning outside the lines. The governance structures currently abided by are not supportive enough when it comes to fighting climate change and other environmental degradation. Perhaps it's time to start anew. In his first book, Forbes advocates for global taxation and regulation to protect this global asset, the planet. Packed full of facts, data, statistics, and figures, Forbes' book offers a compelling argument to save the planet. Angus Forbes has a long experience working at the coal face of capitalism, consumerism, and capital allocation, and his passion for progressive governance and sound knowledge of environmental degradation have led him to advocate for quite a unique solution, the Global Planet Authority.

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Book SynopsisWith this open access book, delve into the insights of respected leaders from academia and industry as they unravel the intricacies of sustainability-driven business transformation. This meticulously curated edited volume reflects on The Road To Net Zero, underscoring the need for pioneering pathways. Embark on a collaborative learning journey and explore key issues along the road to transformation, such as crafting corporate sustainability strategies, new forms of corporate disclosure, transforming value chains, and harnessing the power of technological innovation. Packed with guiding questions and distilled findings from research, this book is a must-read for all decision-makers, strategists, engaged citizens, educators, and learners committed to driving change and shaping a more sustainable future.Table of ContentsPioneering Pathways.- Setting the Course for Net Zero.- Crafting Corporate Sustainability Strategy.- The Future of Corporate Disclosure.- Creating Sustainable Products.- Transforming Value Chains for Sustainability.- Sustainability in Manufacturing Transforming.- The Power of Technological Innovation.- The Road to Net Zero and Beyond.

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