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: Professor Mike Toffel, Faculty Chair, Business & Environment Initiative  Guests: Jay Koh, Co-Founder and Managing Director of the Lightsmith Group For transcripts and other resources, visit climaterising.org

Climate Rising

The Lightsmith Group’s Adaptation Investment Strategy

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 managers can use to identify and manage adaptation risks posed by climate change. For transcripts and other resources, visit climaterising.org

Visualizing our Changing Climate with Probable Futures

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 innovation. The conversation delves into Raízen’s cutting-edge work in biofuels, the strategic choices behind advancing second-generation ethanol, and how these efforts contribute to global decarbonization initiatives. Guest/Host: Brian Kenny, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Harvard Business School and host of Cold Call. Gunnar Trumbull, Phillip Caldwell Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. Paula Kovarsky, Vice President of Strategy & Sustainability at Raízen ﻿For transcripts and other resources, visit climaterising.org Episode specific link

Raízen’s Decarbonization Strategy

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 challenges of market adoption, and the strategic partnerships that have been pivotal. She also shares some career advice. Climate Rising Host: Professor Mike Toffel, Faculty Chair, Business & Environment Initiative Guest: Shreya Dave, CEO and Co-Founder Via Separations For transcripts and other resources, visit climaterising.org.

Decarbonizing Industrial Processes with Material Science

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 McKinsey engagements on aviation decarbonization, and conclude with Robin’s career advice. Climate Rising Host: Professor Mike Toffel, Faculty Chair, Business & Environment Initiative  Guest:  Robin Riedel, Partner and co-head of the McKinsey Center for Future Mobility   For transcripts and other resources, visit climaterising.org

Decarbonizing Aviation with McKinsey

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 conversation led by Anna Fisher-Pinkert of the Harvard Chan School of Public Health and her guests Brady Seals, Drew Michanowicz, and Jon Kung. Guest/Host: Anna Fisher-Pinkert, Director of Digital Strategy at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Brady Seals, Manager of RMI’s Carbon-Free Buildings program Drew Michanowicz, senior scientist, PSE Healthy Energy Jon Kung, Chef For transcripts and other resources, visit climaterising.org

The Health Risks of Natural Gas Stoves

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 order to scale rapidly. Guest/Host: Brian Kenny, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Harvard Business School and host of Cold Call George Serafeim, Charles M. Williams Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School For transcripts and other resources, visit climaterising.org.

Sweden’s Northvolt Quest to Build the World’s Greenest EV Batteries

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 development, provides career advice, and shares tips to attract early-stage financing. For transcripts and other resources, visit climaterising.org   Climate Rising Host: Professor Mike Toffel, Faculty Chair, Business & Environment Initiative Guest: Jacob Susman, CEO and Co-founder at Ambient Fuels

How Green Hydrogen can Decarbonize Hard-to-Abate Sectors

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 replacing cement with a combination of industrial waste materials and CO2 – often captured directly from industrial sources. Rahul also shares advice for those looking to build careers in climate, particularly in the start-up world. For transcripts and other resources, visit ​​climaterising.org  Climate Rising Host: Professor Mike Toffel, Faculty Chair, Business & Environment Initiative  Guest: Rahul Shendure, CEO and Director at CarbonBuilt.

CarbonBuilt: Decarbonizing Concrete Blocks

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 decarbonizing the sector. Linnéa also shares some advice for purpose-driven entrepreneurs. For transcripts and other resources, visit ​​climaterising.org  Climate Rising Host: Professor Mike Toffel, Faculty Chair, Business & Environment Initiative  Guest:  Linnéa Kornehed Falck, Founder, Deputy CEO and Board Member, Einride.

Einride: Decarbonizing Trucking with EVs, Automony, and Digitalization

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 effects this has on its production process.  For transcripts and other resources, visit climaterising.org Guest/Host: ●      Brian Kenny, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Harvard Business School and host of Cold Call ●      Willy Shih, Robert and Jane Cizik Professor of Management Practice in Business Administration ●      Mike Toffel, Senator John Heinz Professor of Environmental Management

How Sian Flowers Aims to Create a Low-Carbon Rose

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 current on information and trends to explore career opportunities in business and climate change For transcripts and other resources, visit climaterising.org Climate Rising Host: Professor Mike Toffel, Faculty Chair, Business & Environment Initiative Guests: ●      Nabig Chaudhry, HBS MBA Class of 2024 ●      Mitch Hirai, HBS MBA Class of 2024 ●      Kamya Jagadish, HBS MBA/Harvard Kennedy School MPP Class of 2024

Three MBA Summer Interns in Business and Climate Change

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. They discuss how companies and their boards can use accountability and transparency to drive climate performance. For transcripts and other resources, visit climaterising.org Climate Rising Host: Professor Mike Toffel, Faculty Chair, Business & Environment Initiative Moderator/Panelists: ●      George Serafeim, Charles M. Williams Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School ●      Carter Roberts, President & CEO, World Wildlife Fund ●      Debora L. Spar, Jaime and Josefina Chua Tiampo Professor of Business Administration; Senior Associate Dean for Business and Global Society; Board Director, Thermo Fisher Scientific ●      Bonita Stewart, Board Partner, Gradient Ventures ●      Lauren Taylor Wolfe, Cofounder & Managing Partner, Impactive Capital

How Boards Can Drive Climate Performance

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 diversity across the region, and how his work fits into the larger McDonald’s corporate climate goals For transcripts and other resources, visit climaterising.org Climate Rising Host: Professor Mike Toffel, Faculty Chair, Business & Environment Initiative Guest: Gabriel Serber, Vice President of Social Impact and Sustainable Development, Arcos Dorados

How Arcos Dorados is Addressing Climate Change in Latin America

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 nonprofit sectors and where he thinks the next big climate-related investment priorities will be. For transcripts and other resources, visit climaterising.org Climate Rising Host: Professor Mike Toffel, Faculty Chair, Business & Environment Initiative Guest: Paul Bodnar, Director of Sustainable Finance, Industry, and Diplomacy, Bezos Earth Fund

An Investor’s Perspective on Corporate Climate Action

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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Climate Rising

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