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'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.

The Long-Run Dynamics of Electricity Demand: Evidence from Municipal Aggregation

by Alexander MacKay, Tatyana Deryugina, and Julian Reif

This study provides the first quasi-experimental estimate of the long-run elasticity (responsiveness) of residential electricity demand, and finds that it is about double the short-run elasticity. Our findings highlight the importance of accounting for consumption dynamics when evaluating energy policy.

The Promises and Limitations of Big Data

by Sean Silverthorne

Recent stories chart the rise of big data, its impact on business, and how it affects our lives every day. 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.

We Need a Miracle. New Nuclear Might Provide it.

by Joseph Lassiter

New nuclear power technology could be the miracle we need to combat dangerous carbon emissions, says Joe Lassiter. Closed for comment; 5 Comment(s) posted.

Take a Trim Tab Approach to Climate Change

by Amy C. Edmondson

Often depicted as greedy and shortsighted, business leaders face a crucial opportunity on the issue of climate change to change that perception, says Amy Edmondson. Closed for comment; 1 Comment(s) posted.

The Climate Needs Aggressive CEO Leadership

by Michael Toffel & Auden Schendler

History will judge CEOs not just on their stewardship of firm growth, but also on whether they effectively used their clout to address one of the greatest societal challenges of our time, say Michael Toffel and Auden Schendler. Closed for comment; 3 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.

Stop Thinking of Climate Change as a Religious or Political Issue

by Forest Reinhardt

Private and public innovation around cleaning up our environment will be motivated only if prices reflect the true state of the world, says Forest Reinhardt. Closed for comment; 1 Comment(s) posted.

The ABCs of Addressing Climate Change (From a Business Perspective)

by John Macomber

How can business leaders cut through the noise and actively address climate change from an economic perspective? John Macomber proposes a list of ABCs. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.

The Business of Climate Change

Re: Multiple Faculty

What is the role of business and its leaders in creating positive climate change? In the middle of Climate Week, Six Harvard Business School faculty provide different perspectives. Closed for comment; 4 Comment(s) posted.

Learning From Japan’s Remarkable Disaster Recovery

by Sean Silverthorne

Harvard Business School students make an annual trek to businesses in the Japanese area wrecked by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Their objectives: learn all they can about human resilience and share their own management knowledge. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.

When Do Alliances Make Sense?

by Michael Blanding

Analyzing drilling leases in the Gulf of Mexico, John Beshears explores a question as old as business itself: When does it pay to make an alliance? Open for comment; 2 Comment(s) posted.

Response to Readers: Combating Climate Change with Nuclear Power and Fracking

by Joe Lassiter

Following a contentious online debate, Professor Joe Lassiter expands his argument that nuclear power and fracking are the lesser evils when stacked up against coal power, and presents a way forward. Closed for comment; 4 Comment(s) posted.

The Case for Combating Climate Change with Nuclear Power and Fracking

by Carmen Nobel

Joseph B. Lassiter explains why he believes that nuclear power and shale gas are on the right side of the fight against climate change, and why markets have a better shot at winning the fight than governments do. Closed for comment; 18 Comment(s) posted.

From Green Users to Green Voters

by Diego Comin & Johannes Rode

Does the diffusion of technology affect voting patterns? Technology is usually not aligned with a specific ideology or political party. Indeed, to the extent that technology raises living standards, all parties tend to favor technology diffusion. However, in some cases, voters may associate a political party with a specific technology. Green parties, for example, advocate for the diffusion of green energy technologies and pursue policies that foster the diffusion of green energies. This paper finds a significant effect of photovoltaic (PV) adoption on the increase in the share of votes for Germany's Green Party. In particular, the increase in the diffusion rate of PV systems between 1998 and 2009 led to an increase in the fraction of green votes of 1 percent, which represents 25 percent of the actual increase in the voting rate experienced by the Green Party between 1998 and 2009. Key concepts include: This study uncovered the impact that the diffusion of PV systems has on the votes obtained by Germany's Green Party. Individuals that use green technologies are more likely to become Green Party voters. Approximately a quarter of the increase in the share of votes experienced by the Green Party between 1998 and 2009 is driven by the diffusion of PV systems. In contrast, there were no such effects from the diffusion of industrial PV systems and eolic systems. This contrast confirms the importance of voters' direct involvement with the adoption and/or operation of the technology for this to affect their voting patterns. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.

LEED-ing by Example

by Carmen Nobel

When a local government decides to pursue environmentally aware construction policies for its own buildings, the private sector follows suit, according to new research by Timothy Simcoe and Michael W. Toffel. Closed for comment; 7 Comment(s) posted.