Tobias Bauckloh, C. Klein, T. Pioch, Frank Schiemann
{"title":"Under Pressure? The Link Between Mandatory Climate Reporting and Firms’ Carbon Performance","authors":"Tobias Bauckloh, C. Klein, T. Pioch, Frank Schiemann","doi":"10.1177/10860266221083340","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"We examine whether and how mandatory climate reporting leads to changes in firms’ carbon emissions. Drawing on legitimacy theory and using a difference-in-differences design, we assess the effect of the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP), introduced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2010, on the carbon performance defined as carbon intensity and absolute carbon emissions of affected firms. We find that firms affected by the GHGRP improve their carbon intensity significantly more than unaffected firms after the introduction of the GHGRP, but not their absolute carbon emissions. The results are robust to changes in the difference-in-differences design. Overall, our study contributes to research on mandatory climate reporting by assessing the GHGRP’s suitability to generate a real sustainable change in firms’ operations and reduce their negative impact on our climate.","PeriodicalId":47984,"journal":{"name":"Organization & Environment","volume":"36 1","pages":"126 - 149"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2000,"publicationDate":"2023-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"15","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Organization & Environment","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10860266221083340","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 15
Abstract
We examine whether and how mandatory climate reporting leads to changes in firms’ carbon emissions. Drawing on legitimacy theory and using a difference-in-differences design, we assess the effect of the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP), introduced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2010, on the carbon performance defined as carbon intensity and absolute carbon emissions of affected firms. We find that firms affected by the GHGRP improve their carbon intensity significantly more than unaffected firms after the introduction of the GHGRP, but not their absolute carbon emissions. The results are robust to changes in the difference-in-differences design. Overall, our study contributes to research on mandatory climate reporting by assessing the GHGRP’s suitability to generate a real sustainable change in firms’ operations and reduce their negative impact on our climate.
期刊介绍:
Organization & Environment encourages informed discussion about the social roots and consequences of environmental problems and stimulates deeper reflection on the meaning and significance of the natural world. By critically examining the impact of human production and consumption systems on the natural environment, Organization & Environment develops new perspectives on organizations that encourage environmentally sensitive reflection, inquiry, and practice.