Are companies following through on their climate commitments—and how can we tell? In this bonus episode of Climate Rising, we feature a conversation originally published by CleanLaw, a podcast from Harvard Law School's Environmental and Energy Law Program. Harvard Law School Professor Jody Freeman speaks with Harvard Business School Professor Mike Toffel and Harvard Kennedy School Professor Joe Aldy about their collaborative research on corporate climate commitments and the newly developed Salata Institute Corporate Climate Targets Database. The database tracks climate-related targets announced by Russell 3000 companies between 2000 and 2024, providing a comprehensive picture of how corporate commitments have evolved over 25 years. The researchers discuss several early findings, including the rise and recent decline of corporate climate targets, how frequently companies revise their commitments, and emerging evidence that companies with climate targets reduce emissions intensity faster than comparable companies without targets. The conversation also examines how shifting federal policies, state and international disclosure requirements, and investor pressure influence corporate climate action. As companies navigate an increasingly uncertain regulatory environment, the researchers explain how this publicly accessible database can help policymakers, investors, and researchers better understand the relationship between voluntary commitments and actual emissions reductions. This episode was originally produced and published by CleanLaw, a podcast of the Environmental and Energy Law Program at Harvard Law School, and is shared as a special Climate Rising bonus episode.

The Evolution of Corporate Climate Reduction Targets

Spotify

Are companies following through on their climate commitments—and how can we tell? In this bonus episode of Climate Rising, we feature a conversation originally published by CleanLaw, a podcast from Harvard Law School's Environmental and Energy Law Program. Harvard Law School Professor Jody Freeman speaks with Harvard Business School Professor Mike Toffel and Harvard Kennedy School Professor Joe Aldy about their collaborative research on corporate climate commitments and the newly developed Salata Institute Corporate Climate Targets Database. The database tracks climate-related targets announced by Russell 3000 companies between 2000 and 2024, providing a comprehensive picture of how corporate commitments have evolved over 25 years. The researchers discuss several early findings, including the rise and recent decline of corporate climate targets, how frequently companies revise their commitments, and emerging evidence that companies with climate targets reduce emissions intensity faster than comparable companies without targets. The conversation also examines how shifting federal policies, state and international disclosure requirements, and investor pressure influence corporate climate action. As companies navigate an increasingly uncertain regulatory environment, the researchers explain how this publicly accessible database can help policymakers, investors, and researchers better understand the relationship between voluntary commitments and actual emissions reductions. This episode was originally produced and published by CleanLaw, a podcast of the Environmental and Energy Law Program at Harvard Law School, and is shared as a special Climate Rising bonus episode.              

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.

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