Business in climate or climate in business?

Abstract

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to present a new methodological approach to help companies improve their decision-taking capacity regarding corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the context of climate change (CC). Design/methodology/approach – The study was conducted by combining a wide variety of sources including articles and research reports. Taking into account the complexity of adapting in a context of climate change, the paper developed a simplified conceptual model that integrates multi-criteria analysis. A vulnerability matrix was generated as a combination of adaptive capacity, exposure and sensitivity and how to measure the magnitude, persistence, uncertainty, temporality, degree of importance in combination with the impacts. Findings – The first results reveal that activities related to water resources or natural ecosystems are more important than those related to energy or tourism sectors, and that there is a relationship between opportunities and adaptation needs. Practical implications – The paper documents the inverse relationship between adaptation measures and opportunities in a study that may be a starting-point for further research into empirical observations of sector vulnerability and the impact and integration of the factor of resilience. Originality/value – The paper provides a common language to use in the business world for concepts related to climate change. It provides a methodological approach for finding solutions to the problem of resource optimisation in companies and helps to find new business opportunities for sectors.