Climate Rising

Is increasing solar power the answer? Abby Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, and Professor Joe Lassiter discuss how to deliver reliable, clean, low cost power for people everywhere.

What influence does business have on the politics of climate change? In today’s episode, we'll look at how climate change affects different businesses, and how proposed regulations like a carbon tax could help or harm business. Weighing in with their unique perspectives are Auden Schendler from Aspen Skiing Company, Bill Eacho from the Partnership for Responsible Growth, and Professor Mike Toffel.

Agriculture contributes a quarter of the world's greenhouse gas, and 60% comes from manure and methane emissions from animals like cattle. How is the beef industry changing to address this challenge? Could plant-based or clean meat truly change our diets enough to make an impact? Nicole Johnson-Hoffman from the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, Bruce Friedrich from the Good Food Institute, and Professor Max Bazerman discuss how to produce high quality protein to feed the world in the face of climate change.

The massive agriculture industry feeds billions of people but also contributes heavily to climate change. How do we employ more sustainable agricultural practices and maintain our ability to feed 7.7 billion people, plus 2 billion more by 2050? Indigo Agriculture’s David Perry and Harvard Business School Professor David Bell discuss the promising opportunities to change the ways in which we grow food.

What should the future of transportation look like? The solutions will likely require us to change how often we drive cars, the types of fuels we use, an investment in public transportation, congestion charges, and more car-pooling and ride-hailing services. But, it won’t be easy to change consumer behavior. Adam Gromis of Uber; Nicole Freedman, Director of Transportation for the City of Newton, MA; and Harvard Business School’s Ashley Whillans discuss the impact of transportation on climate change.

Both cities and businesses need to prepare for climate change. That means changing how they do business today and in the future, but there’s potential for big financial benefits with change, too. Rachel Cleetus from the Union of Concerned Scientists and Harvard Business School Professor John Macomber discuss the importance of resilience.

Climate Rising is about the impact of climate change on business. It brings together business and policy leaders like Rachel Cleetus from the Union of Concerned Scientists, Adam Gromis of Uber, Bruce Friedrich from the Good Food Institute, Abigail Ross Harper from the Solar Energy Industries Association, and Mindy Lubber of Ceres with Harvard Business School faculty to share insights about what businesses can do to confront climate change. Hosted by environmental reporter David Abel, Harvard Business School Climate Rising explores the many challenges and opportunities that climate change raises for managers.