+ McKinsey on how companies think about climate change

Back in February, management consulting juggernauts McKinsey released one of their trademark surveys, this time focused on how senior managers think about the intersection of business and climate change.

From the abstract:

Fully 60 percent of global executives surveyed by The McKinsey Quarterly regard climate change as strategically important, and a majority consider it important to product development, investment planning, and brand management.

Fewer companies, however, act on these opinions. More than one-third of executives say their companies seldom or never consider climate change when developing overall strategy.

Nonetheless, executives express optimism about the business prospects of addressing climate change. Sixty-one percent expect the issues associated with climate change to boost profits—if managed well.

Despite the uncertainties around regulation, a remarkable 82 percent of executives expect some form of climate change regulation in their companies’ home country within five years.

Their surveys and articles on sustainability, climate change, and similar subjects are excellent resources, so be sure to check out everything they have to offer. Since it's from McKinsey, you can be sure the methodology is rigorous, the conclusions are sound, and the survey is generally without bias or ideological agenda- qualities that can be tough to find in the body of knowledge on these subjects.

The most interesting finding for me in this survey is that the majority of executives think climate change is strategically important, but few have actually launched initiatives against the issue:


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