Today's guest is Rebecca Henderson, John and Natty McArthur University Professor at Harvard University.

We also talk a lot about climate change, how to think about the problem, the path forward, and most importantly how Rebecca came to be doing this work to begin with. She has a fascinating journey, and I know it was helpful for me as I'm navigating my own journey. I hope you find it helpful too. Enjoy the show! 

You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

In today’s episode, we cover:

• Her work at the Harvard Business School
• Her journey to research climate change and studying purpose-driven organizations
• Her latest book, “Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire”
• The genesis of her focus on climate change
• Her work setting up the first course on sustainability at MIT
• Her initial perspective that climate change is fixable and that business would be central to the solutions
• How her views have changed since she first studied climate change
• Why a price on carbon has not manifested
• How the political dynamics and rampant denialism were unexpected barriers to a price on carbon
• Her findings on the role of entrepreneurship, anti-trust and initial government demand in the progress of innovation
• How carbon pricing has affected other countries
• Optimism for policy opportunities to price and tax carbon
• How job creation and credits can make a price on carbon more politically palatable
• How the dominance of passive investing has contributed to more sustainable-focused investments
• How individual behavior and consumption habits will have to change to respond to climate change
• The role of fossil fuel companies in addressing climate change
• The strategy of engagement versus divestment to influence corporations’ response to climate
• How capitalism has become a “master” instead of a “servant” to delivering progress
• Her views on the Green New Deal
• Her assessment of the partisan and social divide when it comes to taking action on climate change
• How climate education and political lobbying represent critical levers to moving the needle on climate change

Links to topics discussed in this episode:

• “Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire” : https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/rebecca-henderson/reimagining-capitalism-in-a-world-on-fire/9781541730151
• Prof. Henderson’s Faculty Page: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=12345
• “Accelerating Energy Innovation: Insights from Multiple Sectors”: https://www.nber.org/papers/w16529
• Harvard University’s Climate Action Plan: https://green.harvard.edu/campaign/harvards-climate-action-plan
• Iberdrola: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iberdrola
• Enel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enel
• Shell’s net-zero announcement: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/apr/16/shell-unveils-plans-to-become-net-zero-carbon-company-by-2050

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant