Business and Climate Change: The Climate Response of the World's 30 Largest Corporations

Abstract

This paper analyzes how central the climate change issue is and how it is treated rhetorically in the non-financial reports of the world's 30 largest corporations. The analysis shows a huge variation in the extent to which this issue is addressed, with some corporations barely mentioning it. Using an adaptation of Aristotelian topics to organize an exploration of those that do address the climate issue, I found four topics are central: (1) the environmental situation is grave; (2) the corporation is in line with the scientific consensus and the international political process on curbing emissions (testimony); (3) the corporation has to take measures to reduce its own emissions (relationship); and (4) the climate challenge poses an opportunity for business (circumstance). There is little to suggest, however, that corporations engage in the radical rethinking of systemic problems that the situation's gravity would seem to call for.This paper analyzes how central the climate change issue is and how it is treated rhetorically in the non-financial reports of the world's 30 largest corporations. The analysis shows a huge variation in the extent to which this issue is addressed, with some corporations barely mentioning it. Using an adaptation of Aristotelian topics to organize an exploration of those that do address the climate issue, I found four topics are central: (1) the environmental situation is grave; (2) the corporation is in line with the scientific consensus and the international political process on curbing emissions (testimony); (3) the corporation has to take measures to reduce its own emissions (relationship); and (4) the climate challenge poses an opportunity for business (circumstance). There is little to suggest, however, that corporations engage in the radical rethinking of systemic problems that the situation's gravity would seem to call for.