Climate Rising
Climate Rising is about the impact of climate change on business. It brings business and policy leaders and Harvard Business School faculty together to share insights about what businesses are doing, can do, and should do to confront climate change. It explores the many challenges and opportunities that climate change raises for managers, such as decisions about where they choose to locate, the technologies they develop and use, their strategies with respect to products, marketing, customer engagement, and policy—in other words, the full spectrum of business concerns.
Episodes
IBM’s Chief Sustainability Officer on AI, Efficiency, and the Future of Sustainable Business
Artificial intelligence is reshaping how businesses operate — but it is also reshaping how companies think about sustainability. Christina Shim, Chief Sustainability Officer at IBM, joins Climate Rising to discuss how AI, cloud infrastructure, and emerging technologies like quantum computing are transforming corporate sustainability strategies. Drawing on her background across consulting, governme
Using AI to Unlock Geothermal Energy at Scale: Zanskar
Geothermal energy has long been seen as a promising, but challenging,
clean energy resource. Unlike wind or solar, geothermal requires finding heat hidden deep underground, often with little surface indication of where to look.
Joel Edwards, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Zanskar, joins Climate Rising to explain how advances in geoscience, data science, and machine learning are trans
David Potere at BCG X: Using AI & Satellites in Climate Solutions
AI and geospatial technologies are transforming how
industries understand and respond to climate challenges. David Potere, Managing Director and Partner at BCG X, joins Climate Rising to describe how sensing, decision-making, and automation are reshaping and decarbonizing sectors like agriculture and energy.
The conversation examines how satellite data, AI models, and real-time sensing systems ar
Climate Risk Meets Finance: Modeling the Future of Real Estate with First Street
As climate risks intensify, understanding their financial
implications is becoming critical for businesses, investors, and homeowners alike. Ed Kearns, Chief Science Officer at First Street, joins Climate Rising to explain how climate data is being translated into actionable financial risk insights.
The conversation explores how First Street models physical climate risks—including flooding, wildf
Patagonia Provisions: Regenerative Organic Agriculture and Reimagining the Food System
Patagonia Provisions General Manager Paul Lightfoot joins Climate Rising to discuss why Patagonia expanded beyond apparel into food, and
how regenerative organic agriculture is central to its mission of addressing climate change. Patagonia’s food business was built on the belief that agriculture is one of the largest drivers of environmental degradation—and therefore one of the most important oppo
VF Corporation: Scaling Regenerative Materials Across Global Apparel Supply Chains
Alyse Russel, Senior Manager of Global Sustainability
Programs at VF Corporation, joins Climate Rising to discuss how one of the
world’s largest apparel companies is embedding sustainability across a complex, multi-brand supply chain. VF owns major global brands including Vans, The North Face, and Timberland, and is working to reduce product-related emissions by transforming how key materials are
Agreena: Regenerative Agriculture, Data, and Carbon Markets
Simon Haldrup, founder and CEO of Agreena, joins Climate
Rising to discuss how regenerative agriculture can scale beyond early adopters by focusing on farmer economics, data-driven decision-making, and flexible practice “toolboxes” rather than rigid labels. Based on Copenhagen, Agreena combines agriculture, finance and technology to work with 10,000 farmers across 20 countries.
The conversation
Scaling Regenerative Agriculture and Carbon Markets with Indigo Ag’s A.J. Kumar
Indigo Ag is one of the most active companies at the intersection of agriculture, carbon markets, and regenerative agricultural practices. A.J. Kumar, Vice President of Sustainability Sciences at Indigo discusses how the company is working with farmers, food companies, and carbon credit buyers to scale regenerative agriculture and unlock environmental and financial benefits.
He explains how Indig
Regenerative Agriculture at Scale with Tom Brennan at McKinsey - Part 2
Tom Brennan, a partner at McKinsey & Company, joins Climate Rising to unpack what regenerative agriculture means in practice and why it is increasingly central to conversations about climate resilience, farm economics, and food system risk. Drawing on McKinsey’s work with farmers, agribusinesses, and food companies, Tom explains how regenerative agriculture differs from more prescriptive models li
Regenerative Agriculture at Scale with Tom Brennan at McKinsey - Part 1
Tom Brennan, a partner at McKinsey & Company, joins Climate Rising to unpack what regenerative agriculture means in practice and why it is increasingly central to conversations about climate resilience, farm economics, and food system risk. Drawing on McKinsey’s work with farmers, agribusinesses, and food companies, Tom explains how regenerative agriculture differs from more prescriptive models li
How Amazon Approaches Carbon Markets and Climate Neutralization
Jamey Mulligan, Head of Carbon Neutralization Science and Strategy at Amazon, joins Climate Rising to share how Amazon is tackling its net-zero climate goals, particularly through its engagement in the voluntary carbon market. Jamey explains Amazon’s three-part strategy under the Climate Pledge: emissions measurement, value chain decarbonization, and high-impact carbon mitigation. He describes Ama
Financing Climate and Nature Together: AIIB’s Climate Strategy in Brazil and Beyond
In this episode of Climate Rising, Erik Berglöf, Chief Economist at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), shares how this relatively young multilateral development bank is helping emerging economies finance climate and nature-based solutions. Erik discusses AIIB’s approach to
climate policy—including infrastructure decarbonization, green finance, and biodiversity credits—and offers a be
Scaling High-Integrity Nature-Based Carbon Removal with re.green
Marcelo Medeiros, co-founder and CEO of re.green, joins Climate
Rising to discuss how his company is restoring millions of hectares of
degraded land in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest and Amazon biomes by producing
high-quality nature-based carbon removal credits.
Marcelo explains how re.green combines data science, forest
restoration, and long-term land ownership to deliver durable carbon
sequestration
Tata Power and India's Energy Transition: Balancing Growth and Decarbonization
As bonus episode of Climate Rising, we feature a
conversation among Tata Power CEO Dr. Praveer Sinha, Harvard Business School Professor Vikram Gandhi, and HBS Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Brian Kenny that explores how India’s largest private power company is navigating its net-zero commitment while supporting a rapidly growing economy. With energy demand projected to quadruple by 20
Decarbonizing Steel in the Global South: JSW Group’s Climate Strategy
Parth Jindal and Prabodha Acharya of JSW Group join Climate
Rising to discuss how one of India’s largest industrial conglomerates is
reducing the carbon intensity of its steel business while scaling
infrastructure for a fast-growing economy. They share how JSW built vertically integrated operations—from power to cement to ports—through industrial symbiosis, and why energy efficiency, renewable pow
De-Risking Climate Tech: Inside the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center with Galen Nelson
Galen Nelson, Chief Climate Officer at the Massachusetts
Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) explains how the state is helping accelerate climate innovation through early-stage grants, equity investments, and infrastructure support. Galen outlines how MassCEC targets “market failures” where private investors hesitate—such as pilot and demonstration projects—and how these public investments help attract
Governing Climate Action: Massachusetts’ Strategy for Decarbonization and Resilience
Jonathan Schrag, Deputy Climate Chief for the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts, joins Climate Rising to discuss how the state is
tackling emissions, electrifying infrastructure, and responding to a shifting
federal policy landscape. Jonathan shares how Massachusetts’ newly created Climate Office coordinates across agencies—from housing to public health to corrections—to embed climate action into all
How Crusoe is Reducing the Carbon Intensity of AI Data Centers
Hui Wen Chan, Senior Director of Sustainability at Crusoe, describes
how the rapid rise of AI is reshaping energy demand and Crusoe’s efforts to design more sustainable data centers. She explains how Crusoe leverages stranded energy sources, repurposed electric vehicle batteries, on-site renewables, and innovative energy-efficient cooling technologies to design and build gigawatt-scale AI data cen
Scaling Carbon Capture for Hard-to-abate sectors: Danielle Rapson of Mantel
Danielle Rapson, HBS alum and Co-founder and COO of Mantel, joins Climate Rising to explain how her company is developing a novel molten-based carbon capture system for hard-to-abate industrial sectors. Danielle shares the story of how Mantel spun out of an MIT lab, what sets its technology apart from existing amine-based carbon capture, and why the economics of steam reuse are critical to its eff
Building Climate-Resilient Farming with Robotics: Eric Adamson of Oishii and Tortuga
Eric Adamson, Robotics Executive at Oishii and co-founder of Tortuga AgTech, joins Climate Rising to share how automation and AI are transforming fruit farming. Eric explains how his team designed a strawberry-harvesting robot capable of operating in outdoor tunnels and vertical farms, bringing operational efficiency, labor savings, and climate resilience to high-value crops. He discusses why har
Microsoft ’s Climate Strategy and Its Carbon Removal Deal with Chestnut Carbon
Microsoft’s Brian Marrs, Senior Director of Energy and Carbon Removal, and Chestnut Carbon CFO Greg Adams share their perspectives as a major buyer and developer of carbon removal credits. Their 2025 deal is one of the largest carbon removal deals in the U.S. and seeks to deliver 7 million tons of nature-based carbon credits over 25 years.
Brian explains Microsoft’s carbon negative strategy and
Reducing Household Emissions with Dishwashing Innovation: A Conversation with P&G ’ s Ashley Fill
Ashley Fill, Global Director of Sustainability at P&G Home Care joins Climate Rising to discuss how consumer behavior and innovative technologies can reduce household carbon and water footprints. Ashley shares how life cycle assessments reveal that 87% of the emissions in P&G’s Home Care portfolio come from product use, particularly dishwashing. She describes how their products are engineered to d
AI for Climate Resilient Food Systems with ClimateAi’s Himanshu Gupta
ClimateAi co-founder and CEO Himanshu Gupta explains how his
company uses machine learning to forecast extreme weather and help businesses adapt to climate volatility. Himanshu shares his journey from rural India to co-founding ClimateAi while he was an MBA student. He describes how ClimateAi's "biophysics-driven AI" combines limited weather and crop yield data to inform procurement, logistics, an
Designing for Resilience: with Alex Berkowitz of Coastal Protection Services
This episode is another in our series on Climate Resilience featuring
Alex Berkowitz, Founder and CEO of Coastal Protection Solutions (CPS), a
startup developing nearshore infrastructure that reduces wave energy and enhances climate resilience. Alex shares how her personal experience with Hurricane Sandy in her hometown of Rockaway Beach led to the creation of the Wave Breaker—an innovative floati
Investing in Climate Resilience and Poverty Alleviation: Acumen Founder & CEO Jacqueline Novogratz
In this Climate Rising episode in our series on climate resilience, Jacqueline Novogratz, Founder and CEO of Acumen shares how impact investing is agriculture is helping smallholder farmers build climate resilience. Jacqueline shares insights from two decades of investing in poverty alleviation that includes climate resilience and adaptation social enterprises engaging in agriculture and off-grid
Forecasting Climate Risk with Geospatial AI: Sarah Russell of X , the Moonshot Factory at Alphabet
This episode, part of the Climate Rising series on climate resilience, features Sarah Russell, General Manager of Project Bellwether at X, The Moonshot Factory at Alphabet (formerly Google X). Sarah shares how geospatial data and artificial intelligence can help communities and businesses anticipate and respond to climate risks. Sarah shares insights from her work building predictive wildfire risk
Closing the Loop by Recycling Apparel: Reju CEO Patrik Frisk
Patrik Frisk, CEO of ReJu, joins Climate Rising to discuss his company’s mission to recycle textile waste and build circular supply chains for apparel made of polyester fabric. Patrik brings his prior experience leading Under Armour and other global brands across the textile and footwear industry for over 35 years.
Patrik describes how ReJu turns discarded apparel made of polyester blends into n
Extending Apparel Lifespan: ThredUp CEO James Reinhart
James Reinhart, CEO of ThredUp, one of the largest online resale platforms for secondhand clothing. James co-founded the company while he was a Masters’ student at Harvard and has spent the last 15 years scaling a national logistics and digital infrastructure platform for resale.
In this episode James describes why the company decided to handle physical goods rather than act as a pure marketplac
Designing for Circularity at Scale: A Conversation with Karen Pflug of Ingka Group
In the latest episode of Climate Rising from Harvard Business School, Karen Pflug, Chief Sustainability Officer of Ingka Group (IKEA), shares how IKEA is embedding circularity throughout its business model.
She discusses how IKEA is redesigning iconic products like the Billy bookcase to make them easier to disassemble and repair, how secondhand retail pilot programs at IKEA stores are reaching n
Advancing the Circular Economy: A Conversation with Lauren Rodriguez of Closed Loop Partners
Lauren Rodriguez, who leads partnerships at Circular Services, a Closed Loop Partners company, joins host Mike Toffel to discuss building the infrastructure and investment models needed to scale the circular economy.
Lauren explains how Closed Loop Partners supports the transition from a linear to a circular economy through capital management, innovation initiatives, and operating companies lik
Scaling Reuse with Vytal: A Circular Economy Conversation with CEO Fabian Barthel
Fabian Barthel, Co-Founder of Vytal, a circular economy packaging-as-a-service startup, joins host Mike Toffel to explore the innovation, behavioral science, and regulations shaping the market for reusable containers for take-out food and beverages.
Fabian shares how Vytal is tackling packaging waste by building a reusable container system for restaurants, canteens, and major events. He explains
Carbon Credit Ratings and Market Integrity: A Conversation on the Calyx Global Case
In this bonus episode of Climate Rising, we share an episode from Harvard Business School’s Cold Call podcast, featuring HBS professor Mike Toffel and Duncan van Bergen, Co-Founder of Calyx Global. The discussion focuses on Mike’s recent HBS case study, Calyx Global: Rating Carbon Credits, which explores how the company is helping improve transparency and credibility in the voluntary carbon market
Investing in Carbon Markets: A Conversation with Luke Leslie of Key Carbon
Luke Leslie, Co-Founder and CEO of Key Carbon, joins Climate Rising as part of our series on voluntary carbon markets. Luke has spent over 20 years in carbon markets and finance, working in investment banking, private equity, and structured finance.
Luke explains how Key Carbon is financing high-integrity carbon projects and how new overlaps between the voluntary and compliance carbon markets ar
Navigating Carbon Markets: A Conversation with Alexia Kelly of High Tide Foundation
Alexia Kelly, Managing Director of the Carbon Policy and Markets Initiative (CPMI) at theHigh Tide Foundation, joins host Mike Toffel for the fifth episode in our series on voluntarycarbon markets. Alexia has worked for nearly two decades atthe intersection of carbonmarkets, policy, and finance, with roles spanning government, private industry, andnonprofits.
In this episode, Alexia discusses how
Enhancing Integrity Standards in Carbon Markets: A Conversation with Amy Merrill of ICVCM
Amy Merrill, CEO of the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) joins host Mike Toffel in this fourth episode of the Climate Rising series on voluntary carbon markets. Amy has extensive experience in carbon markets, including leading negotiations on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and advising on global carbon finance.
Amy explains how ICVCM uses a multi-stakeholder approach t
Strengthening Carbon Claims via the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI): A Conversation with Mark Kenber
This episode, the third in our series on Voluntary Carbon Markets, features Mark Kenber, Executive Director of the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI). Mark has worked in carbon markets and climate finance for nearly three decades, with experience at organizations like WWF, The Climate Group, and Fundación Natura in Ecuador.
Mark describes VCMI’s mission to provide guidance for
The Potential and Challenges of the Voluntary Carbon Market
Our second episode on the voluntary carbon market is a bonus episode of a panel discussion recorded at Harvard Climate Action Week in 2024. Harvard Kennedy School Professor Joe Aldy
moderates this discussion with Nat Keohane from the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, Donna Lee from Calyx Global, UC San Diego Professor David Victor, and Carolyn Weinberg, formerly of Blackrock. Together, they
Building Integrity in Carbon Markets: A Conversation with Jennifer Jenkins of Rubicon Carbon
Dr. Jennifer Jenkins, Chief Science Officer at Rubicon Carbon, joins our host Mike to talk about the critical role of voluntary carbon markets in achieving net-zero goals. Dr. Jenkins shares insights on how Rubicon Carbon is advancing the integrity and scalability of carbon credit through tools like the Rubicon Carbon Integrity Framework (RCIF). The conversation explores the lifecycle of a carbon
Accelerating Battery Innovation with AI: A Conversation with Argonne’s Logan Ward
Logan Ward, Deputy Scientist at Argonne National Laboratory, joins host Mike Toffel to discuss how AI is transforming the discovery process for new materials in grid-scale batteries. Logan explains Argonne’s research on improving energy storage solutions, why AI plays a critical role, and the partnerships between national labs and the industry. He also shares his outlook on the future of AI in cli
Using AI and Satellite Data to Transform Agriculture: A Conversation with Alyssa Whitcraft
Dr. Alyssa Whitcraft is a professor at University of Maryland and a leading expert in agricultural
remote sensing and climate adaptation. Dr. Whitcraft discusses her journey from co-founding NASA Harvest, a global program addressing food security with satellite data, to leading NASA Acres, which focuses on U.S. agriculture. She explains how AI and satellite technology are changing the agricultural
Using AI to Fight Wildfires: How Dryad Networks is Scaling Climate Technology
Carsten Brinkschulte is the CEO of Dryad, a company that leverages AI to detect wildfires early and prevent catastrophic damage. Carsten shares his journey from a telecom entrepreneur to climate tech innovator, explaining how Dryad’s solar-powered sensors and mesh networks detect wildfires at their inception and transmit real-time alerts to their customers. He also discusses the technical challeng
Using AI to Optimize Energy Demand
In this episode, host Mike Toffel speaks with Pasi Miettinen, CEO of Sagewell, a company that uses AI to help utilities and their customers manage energy demand efficiently. Pasi explains how Sagewell’s technology helps reduce peak electricity usage, which in turn lowers energy costs and lessens climate impact. He also discusses how smart data analytics can identify energy-saving opportunities and
A Preview of COP29: What Business Leaders Should Know with Outrage & Optimism Co-hosts
In this episode, host Mike Toffel sits down with Paul Dickinson and Tom Rivett-Carnac, co-hosts of the climate podcast Outrage & Optimism, to preview COP29, the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan. With their extensive experience in climate negotiations and industry collaboration, Paul and Tom share insights on how COP29 fits into the broader climate agenda, what business lea
How Public Policy Can Drive Climate Innovation and Business Opportunities: A Conversation with USEPA’s David Cash
David Cash, the Regional Director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) for
New England, shares his journey from environmental science to state and federal leadership roles. He highlights how the clean energy transition in the United States is being driven by public policy, community engagement, and new funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act
BCG Global Chair Rich Lesser: How Businesses Can be “Bold and Pragmatic” on Climate Change
Rich Lesser, Global Chair of Boston Consulting Group (BCG), shares how BCG is
helping clients walk the walk with net-zero commitments, transition to sustainable practices, and how it is partnering with global organizations to amplify their impact. He also delves into the challenges businesses face in adapting to climate risks and the role of AI in optimizing everything from supply chains to climat
Joel Makower @ Greenbiz
This is the fourth episode in our series on business and climate change in the media and entertainment industry, where we’re diving into the business of news and storytelling around climate change. Our prior episodes featured CNN, Netflix, and Sustainable Entertainment
Alliance. In this episode, we are hosting Joel Makower, the co-founder and Chair of Trellis, formerly known as GreenBiz. Joel has
Sam Read, Sustainable Entertainment Alliance
This episode is the third in our series on how the media and entertainment industries are integrating climate change into their storytelling and TV show and film production processes. This episode features Sam Read, Executive Director of the Sustainable Entertainment Alliance, a consortium of major studios and streamers including Disney, Netflix, and Warner Brothers. Sam describes how these player
Telling Climate Stories at Scale: Netflix's Strategy for Sustainability and Impact
In this episode of Climate Rising, we explore how Netflix, a global entertainment powerhouse, is leveraging its platform to tell compelling stories about climate change. Stewart, Netflix's first
Sustainability Officer, joins host Mike Toffel to discuss the company’s strategic approach to sustainability, and the importance of embedding climate themes in popular content. Stewart shares insights into
CNN Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir: Media's Role in Shaping Climate Action
This episode is the first of our latest series on climate in media and entertainment, where we explore and understand the role of storytelling in shaping climate actions. Today we have Bill Weir, Chief Climate Correspondent at CNN who shares his expertise on how CNN integrates climate narratives into their news coverage, the power of storytelling, and the strategies they employ to highlight both t
Drawdown Fund: Scaling the Impact of Climate Technology
Erik Snyder, Founder and CEO of Drawdown Fund discusses financing climate tech startups
through growth equity. He describes how he started the Drawdown Fund with Paul Hawken, editor of the New York Times best-selling book on climate solutions called Drawdown, and the strategic choices that set their fund operations apart from others. He also describes some of the fund’s portfolio companies: from s
Decarbonizing Fashionable Materials
Today’s episode focuses on some innovative alternative low-carbon natural materials being used in fashion. Bolt Threads CEO Dan Widmaier describes Mylo, a substitute for leather that’s derived from mushrooms, via the TED Climate podcast that we’re bringing here a bonus episode of Climate Rising. It’s a perfect extension of our two most recent Climate Rising episodes that focus on other low-carbon
A Biotech Solution to Palm Oil Deforestation
Today’s episode is the fifth in our series on decarbonizing the roots of value chains, where we’re looking deep into supply chains that serve many industries. Previously we talked about green concrete, green steel, regenerative agriculture, and lab-grown cotton. Today we’re discussing palm oil – a widely used product that’s also associated with climate change due to some palm oil plantations aris
How Lab - Grown Cotton can Decarbonize Textiles
Today’s episode is the fourth in our series on decarbonizing the roots of value chains, where we’re looking deep into supply chains that serve many industries. Previously we talked about the technical products of green concrete and green steel, and agriculture through the lens of regenerative agriculture. Today we continue our focus on decarbonizing agricultural products by focusing on lab-grown c
Regenerative Agriculture and “The Profiteers” with Cambridge Professor Chris Marquis
Today’s episode is the third in our series on decarbonizing the roots of value chains, where we’re looking deep into supply chains that serve many industries. Previously we talked about green concrete and steel, and today we’re turning to agriculture. Chris Marquis, a professor at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School sheds light on regenerative agriculture, a set of practices that res
H2 Green Steel: Decarbonizing Steel Production with Green Hydrogen
This episode is a part of our series on decarbonizing the roots of value chains, where we’re looking deep into supply chains that serve many industries. Our prior episode explored green concrete, and today’s focuses on steel. Steel production primarily relies on coal and coke, and accounts for nearly 7% of global CO2 emissions. But new technologies are on the horizon. Maria Persson Gulda, Chief Te
Green Concrete: Decarbonizing Construction with Recycled Glass
The first of a series on decarbonizing the roots of value chains, where we’re looking deep into supply chains that serve many industries, this episode focuses on concrete. Concrete is one of the world’s most popular materials, and it accounts for nearly 8% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, most of which comes from cement– the glue that binds conventional forms of concrete. We focus on one
Helping Companies Become More Climate Resilient
In this episode in our adaptation series, Peter Hall, Managing Director at Resonance Impact Advisory, draws upon his experience in global engineering and professional services firms to share how consulting and advisory companies can help their clients assess their risks and take actions to become more resilient to climate change. He walks through several adaptation frameworks and roadmaps recently
How Insurance Companies are Addressing Climate Risks
This episode in our adaptation series focuses climate change’s implications on the insurance industry. Claudine Blamey, Group Director of Sustainability at Aviva, describes how climate change evokes both transition risks and physical risks for insurance companies, and affects how insurance companies are assessing and pricing risk in their underwriting process, and influences their investment strat
Building Climate - Resilient Cities and Infrastructure
This episode in our climate adaptation series features HBS Professor John Macomber. John discusses how companies and governments need to incorporate climate resilience as they develop and finance real estate and infrastructure to address the risks of flooding, wildfire, extreme heat, drought, and sea level rise. John describes “five R” options to address these risks—to reinforce, rebound, retreat,
The Lightsmith Group’s Adaptation Investment Strategy
This episode continues our series on adaptation, and features Jay Koh who co-founded the Lightsmith Group, the first growth private equity firm focused on climate adaptation. Jay discusses the firm’s investment strategy, the sectors his firm invests in and their investment criteria process. He also shares thoughts on the role of public policy and offers career advice.
Climate Rising Host: Profess
Visualizing our Changing Climate with Probable Futures
In this first episode of our series on adaptation, host Mike Toffel sits down with Spencer Glendon and Alison Smart of Probable Futures. They discuss how Probable Futures tools are educating decision makers to better understand how their organizations will experience climate change, and how adaptation and resilience requires a paradigm shift in planning decisions. They describe a five-step process
Raízen’s Decarbonization Strategy
The bonus episode of the Climate Rising features an episode of HBR’s Cold Call podcast featuring a discussion on ethanol, a biofuel with a complex history and an uncertain future. Host Brian Kenny is joined by Professor Gunnar Trumbull and Paula Kovarsky from Raízen. As Brazil's top producer of sugar and ethanol and the world's premier ethanol trader, Raízen is at the forefront of biofuel innovati
Decarbonizing Industrial Processes with Material Science
This episode continues Climate Rising's hard-to-abate series, and features Shreya Dave, CEO and Co-founder of Via Separations. Shreya describes how her company is decarbonizing the industrial sector by using material science to create a much less energy intensive and cheaper approach to separate substances, a common step in many industrial processes. Shreya talks about her company's journey, the c
Decarbonizing Aviation with McKinsey
This episode in our hard-to-abate series features aviation expert Robin Riedel, a Partner at McKinsey & Company who co-leads the McKinsey Center for Future Mobility. Robin describes five approaches to decarbonize aviation: upgrading aircraft, improving operational efficiency, sustainable aviation fuel, other novel fuels and aircraft configurations, and carbon credits. We also learn about some McKi
The Health Risks of Natural Gas Stoves
This bonus episode of Climate Rising features an episode from the Harvard Chan School of Public Health's podcast "Better Off" that explores the intersection of decarbonization and public health. While decarbonization requires shifting away from fossil fuels, this episode emphasizes the equally crucial health reasons to do so – especially for natural gas stoves. Tune in for a thoughtful conversatio
Sweden’s Northvolt Quest to Build the World’s Greenest EV Batteries
This bonus episode of Climate Rising features an episode of Harvard Business Review’s Cold Cast podcast with Brian Kenny interviewing HBS professor George Serafeim about his case on Northvolt, a Sweden-based start-up company producing batteries for Europe’s EV auto manufacturers. They'll discuss Northvolt’s efforts to build government partnerships, hire the right people, and attract financing in o
How Green Hydrogen can Decarbonize Hard-to-Abate Sectors
The third in our series on hard-to-abate sectors, this episode features Jacob Susman, CEO and co-founder of Ambient Fuels, a developer of green hydrogen projects. He describes how green hydrogen can help decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors and which applications are especially promising for green hydrogen solutions. Jacob also describes Ambient’s role in green hydrogen project and infrastructure dev
CarbonBuilt: Decarbonizing Concrete Blocks
The second episode of our hard-to-abate series features Rahul Shendure, CEO and Director at CarbonBuilt. The company has developed and commercialized a Carbon XPRIZE-winning technology to produce what it calls “ultra low carbon” concrete. We start with the basics of how concrete is such a high-emitting product, then describe how CarbonBuilt’s technology is reducing product costs and emissions by r
Einride: Decarbonizing Trucking with EVs, Automony, and Digitalization
This first episode of our hard-to-abate series features Linnéa Kornehed Falck, Einride's Founder, Deputy CEO and Board Member. Einride is launching a fleet of battery electric autonomous trucks, orchestrated via route-optimization software. We discuss how its fleet-based freight capacity-as-a-service business model seeks to disrupt the cargo trucking industry, and better serve customers while deca
How Sian Flowers Aims to Create a Low-Carbon Rose
This bonus episode of Climate Rising features Harvard Business Review’s Cold Cast podcast with Brian Kenny interviewing HBS professors Willy Shih and Mike Toffel about their teaching case about Kenya-based Sian Flowers. They discuss the company’s efforts to create a “low-carbon rose” by shipping them to their clients around the world by sea instead of by air without eroding their quality, and the
Three MBA Summer Interns in Business and Climate Change
The final episode of our 2023 back-to-business school series features three Harvard Business School MBA students: Nabig Chaudhry, Mitch Hirai, and Kamya Jagadish. They describe how they spent the summer interning in climate-related businesses, from impact investing to a climate tech incubator and climate risk analytics. They also discuss what sparked their interest in the field and how they stay c
How Boards Can Drive Climate Performance
As part of our 2023 back-to-business school series, this episode features a session from Harvard’s Climate Action Week in May 2023. Moderated by HBS Prof. George Serafeim, the panel includes Carter Roberts, President & CEO of World Wildlife Fund, HBS professor Deb Spar, Bonita Stewart, Board Partner at Gradient Ventures, and Lauren Taylor Wolfe, Cofounder & Managing Partner of Impactive Capital. T
How Arcos Dorados is Addressing Climate Change in Latin America
Today’s episode is the first in our 2023 back-to-business school series. The episode features Gabriel Serber, Vice President of Social Impact and Sustainable Development, Arcos Dorados, the largest McDonald’s franchise in the world. He discusses how Arcos Dorados designs and implements climate solutions across the 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries where they operate, the vast cultural dive
An Investor’s Perspective on Corporate Climate Action
Today’s episode in our corporate net zero climate series features Paul Bodnar, Director of Sustainable Finance, Industry, and Diplomacy, Bezos Earth Fund, and former Global Head of Sustainable Investing at BlackRock. Paul discusses how investors approach the complex web of weighing climate priorities with fiduciary responsibilities. He also talks about his career in the private, public, and nonpro
Helping Consumers Decarbonize their Purchases
Today’s episode in our corporate net zero climate series features HBS alumna Sanchali Pal, Founder and CEO of Commons, an app created to help consumers make more climate-friendly purchasing decisions. Sanchali discusses why she chose an entrepreneurial pathway out of busine---ss school and what inspired her to focus on the power of consumers to drive corporate climate action. She also talks about
Going Carbon Negative at Microsoft
Formerly Microsoft’s Chief Environmental Officer, and now Chief Sustainability Officer & Senior Managing Director at Haveli Investments, Lucas Joppa discusses the strategies and tools Microsoft developed to meet its ambitious carbon negative goals, including setting an internal price on carbon, restructuring their corporate governance, and funding innovative climate technology solutions. He also t
Managing Electricity to Meet Net Zero Targets
In this episode, Melissa Lott, Director of Research and Senior Research Scholar, Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, and Michael Webber, Josey Centennial Professor in Energy Resources and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, discuss how companies can decarbonize their electricity when pursuing net zero climate goals, from increased efficiency
How Science Based Climate Targets Work
Today’s episode features Alberto Carrillo Pineda, Co-Founder and Chief Technical Officer of the Science Based Targets Initiative explains how they help companies and financial institutions design verifiable and achievable climate targets, and how they assess and validate those targets. He also discusses how the SBTi is transitioning from focusing on technical assistance and assessments to a standa
BCG Climate Vision 2050: Sustainability at 36,000 Feet
For the second episode in our series on corporate net zero programs, we’re sharing an episode on airline decarbonization from the Climate Vision 2050 podcast produced by the consulting firm Boston Consulting Group. This episode sets up a scenario in 2050 where the industry relies on liquid nitrogen, sustainable aviation fuels, electric aircraft, and blending-wing body planes, coupled with present-
Beyond Net Zero: How Seventh Generation Plans to Achieve Real Zero Carbon
In this first episode in a new series on companies setting and meeting net zero climate targets, Ashley Orgain, Chief Impact Officer at Seventh Generation, discusses why this home care products company decided to set a real zero climate goal instead of net zero, and how they plan to achieve it. She also describes how Seventh Generation is going beyond a carbon footprint to measure its carbon finge
