Topics

An abundance of cheap, fossil energy has made the modern economy possible. Today's challenge is retrofitting global energy infrastructure with renewables—making the transition to a clean energy economy. The dilemmas posed by this transition are novel, multidisciplinary and wickedly complex. They also present immense opportunity.

The world's population is expected to reach at least nine billion by 2050. Producing and distributing enough food to meet this growing demand while maintaining a diversity of productive ecosystems is no small feat. The Center is deeply engaged with the role that business has in reaching those goals — the immense opportunity for creative and innovative solutions to the challenge.

The relationship between finance and the environment covers a broad and fundamentally important range of questions: how do we value natural resources? What kinds of economic policies encourage sustainable development? When do markets manage the environment efficiently and when do they fail? As natural limits loom nearer, these questions only grow in relevance.

Climate change and the related regulatory landscape affect most, if not all, functional areas of the modern corporation; the dilemmas posed by this issue are novel, multidisciplinary and wickedly complex. The Center is deeply engaged with the ways in which business and climate interact, as well as the risks and opportunities for innovation presented by this relationship.

Resource constraints—both social and natural—affect most, if not all, functional areas of the modern corporation, but the dilemmas posed by these constraints have yet to be solved. The Center is deeply engaged with the ways in which businesses are dependent on their surrounding ecosystems, as well as the risks and opportunities for innovation that this relationship presents.

CBEY provides a platform for generating, incubating and launching innovative action at the intersection of business and the environment convening diverse resources and skillsets from across the Yale School of Management and the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. We provide a wide range of resources for Social & Environmental Entrepreneurs.

From extraction to end-of-life, materials management touches almost every functional area of the modern corporation. Concerns over scarcity along with consumer pressure on sourcing and disposal are responsible for increasing supply chain scrutiny. At the same time, the rapid pace of technological innovation depends on materials innovation. How and where do all of these issues overlap?

Business and the environment are intrinsically linked with the well being of society. There can be no environmental sustainability without simultaneously addressing the needs of society for food, shelter, water and economic progress. Effectively balancing these multiple goals requires a deep and nuanced understanding of the social fabric in which business and environmental pursuits unfold.

Water scarcity is a central challenge of the twenty-first century. Changes in local climates, along with growing pressure on the water-energy-food nexus, are making efficient and forward-looking water management strategies a basic necessity for many companies. While water poses many operational risks, it also presents a wide plane of opportunities for innovation. The Center manages a number of programs and initiatives at this intersection.