(Videos) Tough Business Questions About The Climate Crisis

Harvard Business Review - Andy Robinson

ARTWORK: Thomas Jackson, Cups no. 5, Point Reyes National Seashore, California, 2019. Courtesy of Ellen Miller Gallery.

Andrew Winston is the founder of Winston Eco-Strategies and a global expert on business and sustainability. He is the author of the books The Big Pivot and Green to Gold, and articles including Resilience in a Hotter World and Leading a New Era of Climate Action. Andy Robinson is a multimedia producer at Harvard Business Review.

Big shifts need to happen in business so the world can avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change.
But it can be difficult to know what your role is in this process — and you may even wonder whether you can make a difference at all.
Does what you do as an entry-level employee or a small business owner really matter? Can we get where the science tells us we need to be within capitalism? And is it worth being optimistic when the planet seems doomed?
The Harvard Business Review approached Andrew Winston with questions and concerns people may have about climate action.

What if helping the environment isn’t profitable for my business? 

I’m a small business owner. Isn’t combating climate change a job for big companies?

Can we fight climate change within capitalism?

What can convince business leaders to act on climate change?

People say they want green products, but don’t they just buy what’s cheap?

Is fighting climate change a job for businesses in developing economies

or just developed regions?

I’m an entry-level employee. How can I get my company to act on climate change?

Climate change is a crisis. How do you stay optimistic?

Links

• The Big Pivot: Radically Practical Strategies for a Hotter, Scarcer, and More Open World
• Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage
• Resilience in a Hotter World
• Leading a new era of climate action
• Climate Change Is Going to Transform Where and How We Build
• Corporate Action on Climate Change Has to Include Lobbying
• What 1,000 CEOs Really Think About Climate Change and Inequality
• Should We Be More Optimistic About Fighting Climate Change?
• Future-Proof Your Climate Strategy