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New research on the energy industry from Harvard Business School faculty on issues including sustainable energy, climate change, and policy regulation.
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Torched Planet: The Business Case to Reinvent Almost Everything

by Rebecca Henderson

With climate change scorching the planet, business leaders have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the world—and make money in the process, says Rebecca Henderson. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

If Your Customers Don't Care What You Charge, What Should You Charge?

by Kristen Senz

Consumer inertia is the tendency of some customers to buy a product, even when superior options exist. Alexander J. MacKay discusses how that habit affects competitive strategy and even regulatory oversight. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

The Business of Saving the Planet

by Sean Silverthorne

The biggest challenge facing today's business leaders? Putting their operations in harmony with the environment. Read the latest research around building sustainability into business processes and management practices. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Green Businesses Are Incredibly Difficult to Make Profitable. Try It Anyway

by Dina Gerdeman

Making a business successful is a challenge in itself, but making a green business profitable is an even harder journey. For society's sake, entrepreneurs must be prepared to make that journey, says Geoffrey Jones. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

'Green Bonds' May Be Our Best Bet for Environmental Damage Control

by Michael Blanding

The popularity of green bonds as a way to finance environmentally friendly projects is on the upswing, say Malcolm Baker and George Serafeim. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Free Trade Needs Nurturing—and Other Lessons from History

by Staff

Global free trade is not the natural order of things, so it needs to be carefully tended to and maintained. Sophus Reinert and Dante Roscini discuss trade over time and what history teaches. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

What’s the Best Administrative Approach to Climate Change?

by James Heskett

SUMMING UP: James Heskett's readers point to examples of complex environmental problems conquered through multinational cooperation. Can those serve as roadmaps for overcoming global warming? Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Has Environmental Sustainability Lost its Relevance?

by Geoffrey G. Jones

Companies have thought for decades about business-focused solutions to fix the deteriorating environment. But judging by continually rising waters and temperatures, we may need a rethink about what sustainability means, suggest participants at a recent conference at Harvard Business School. A report by co-organizer Geoffrey Jones. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

How a Coal Polluter Became a Renewable Energy Leader

Re: Mark R. Kramer

Enel, Italy’s state-owned power company, was one of Europe’s largest coal users and polluters. Now it is recognized as a leader in renewable energy services. Mark Kramer discusses how CEO Francesco Starace drove the huge strategy shift. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Op-Ed: Why Private Investors Must Fund 'New Nuclear' Power Right Now

by Joseph Lassiter

Joseph Lassiter has high hopes for “new nuclear” technology, which he believes can meet the world’s urgent demand for power. But its success requires big, immediate investments from the private sector. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

8 Ways To Be An Environmentally Conscious Manager

by Sean Silverthorne

What does it mean to bring your individual environmental values to work every day? Here's how eco-friendly managers can practice what they preach. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

‘Big Teaming,’ Audacious Innovation, and the Uncompleted Dream of a Smart City

by Sean Silverthorne

How do you organize a project that spans professions, industries, and even nations? A new book by Amy Edmondson and Susan Salter Reynolds describes the approach of 'big teaming' with a case study of a high-profile smart city. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Voluntary, Self-Regulatory, and Mandatory Disclosure of Oil and Gas Company Payments to Foreign Governments

by Paul M. Healy and George Serafeim

Throughout its history the oil and gas industry has been vulnerable to expropriation and corruption. To this day, oil and gas firms provide very limited voluntary disclosure on payments to host governments, and that pattern has not changed materially over time. This paper shows that industry-level self-regulation may be effective in enhancing transparency when individual firms are reluctant to voluntarily disclose payments.

Bigbelly's Big Bet on the Digital Trash Can

by Michael Blanding

Bigbelly wants to transform its solar-powered trash cans into digital hubs offering Wi-Fi access, advertising, and data-collecting sensors. (Oh, and garbage receptacles, too.) A new case study by Mitchell Weiss explores the challenges of a bold strategy pivot. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

How "New Nuclear" Power Could Save the Planet—If Regulators Would Allow It

by Joseph Lassiter

The barriers to rapid progress in next-generation nuclear power are certainly not technical and probably not even economic, argues Joseph Lassiter. The greatest barriers today are in outdated nuclear regulations. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Obama’s Clean Power Plan: Can Nuclear Power Beat the Global Threat of Coal?

by Carmen Nobel

Joe Lassiter believes the smart use of nuclear power is an essential ingredient in fighting the worldwide threat of coal-fired power plant emissions. Open for comment; 2 Comment(s) posted.

Michael Porter on America’s Historic Energy Opportunity

Re: Michael E. Porter

America is caught in a divisive debate over energy strategy, which threatens our nation's economic and environmental goals. "There is an urgent need for the US to get on a new path," according to a new report by Michael E. Porter, David S. Gee, and Gregory J. Pope. Open for comment; 1 Comment(s) posted.

3 Ways Firms Can Profit From Environmental Investments

by Carmen Nobel

Rebecca Henderson lays out three ways for firms to profit from investing in environmental sustainability: forestalling risk, increasing operational efficiency, and selling to the environmental niche. Open for comment; 2 Comment(s) posted.

Oil Price Fallout: What Happens Next?

Re: Richard H.K. Vietor

Oil producers are in shock, and consumers are shockingly happy. Richard Vietor discusses the geopolitical changes around dropping oil prices—and how long this all might last. Open for comment; 4 Comment(s) posted.

Tackling Climate Change Will Cost Less Than We Think

by Rebecca Henderson

Yes, addressing climate change will be expensive, but not nearly as much as the costs of delaying action, argues Rebecca Henderson. Closed for comment; 6 Comment(s) posted.