The MIT Press Podcast Lily Hsueh, "Corporations at Climate Crossroads: Multilevel Governance, Public Policy, and Global Climate Action" (MIT Press, 2025)
Oct 17, 2025
Lily Hsueh, an Associate Professor at Arizona State University and expert in corporate environmentalism, shares insights on her new book. She discusses the evolution of corporate responsibility and explains proactive measures like emissions targets. Hsueh explores the significance of carbon ratings for investors and outlines how regulations influence corporate behavior. She emphasizes the role of managerial actions and consumer choices in advancing sustainability, while also addressing the challenges posed by globalization and corporate responsibility in developing nations.
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Silicon Valley Sparks A Research Path
- Lily Hsueh grew up in Silicon Valley and watched corporate environmentalism develop around toxics and semiconductor firms.
- Those early experiences motivated her to study how markets, regulation, and activism shape firm behavior.
What Corporate Environmentalism Encompasses
- Corporate environmentalism covers proactive firm actions like renewables investments and emissions targets.
- These actions can be local cleanups or firm-wide policies such as internal carbon pricing.
Disclosure Grades ≠ Environmental Outcomes
- CDP collects firm disclosures on governance, risks, and scope emissions and grades transparency from D to A.
- Hsueh warns disclosure grades reflect outputs not actual environmental outcomes or performance.
