Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership

Research

IGEL’s business and faculty advisors collaborate to identify solution-oriented, world-class research topics. Some recent topics include: exploring and comparing benchmarks and metrics for environmental performance in leading companies across different countries; examining how consumers and investors process environmentally relevant business information and use it to make purchasing and investment choices; and reviewing the mechanics of new regulations and social norms regarding the emission of greenhouse gases and trading markets and how they work.

Click through the links on the left to see our Knowledge@Wharton reports, our faculty publications and our student research.

Interested in sponsoring student and faculty research?
Head to our partnerships page to find out more!

Latest reports:

March 2013 Special Report
Next Stop, Innovation: What’s Ahead for Urban Mobility?

Transportation in the 21st century is entering a robust phase that mirrors the early years of the automobile, when gasoline, steam and electric technology vied for market share. Although electric cars led for a while, the internal-combustion engine reached dominance by 1920, with profound effects on American city-based public transportation — which atrophied as car ownership grew.

Today, urban transit is making a comeback, as is the electric car. Congested highways still face emission concerns, but consumers now often have the choice of light and heavy rail. Car sharing, which began as a European phenomenon, has prospered in U.S. urban centers, along with bicycle sharing, vanpooling and other options.

Government plays a major role in shaping efficient urban transportation systems. So far, regulations have proven an effective driver in the early development of new technology. But for ultimate success, environmentally friendly options also must satisfy consumers’ needs and meet economic goals. This special report, produced in coordination with Wharton’s Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership (IGEL), explores how cities are expanding their options for cleaner transportation, and how new technologies, innovations and incentives are revitalizing the sector.

Check out the interview with Gary Survis and the new video: Funding Innovation for Cleaner Cities.

September 2012 Special Report
The Pathways to Sustainability in Emerging Economies

During Wharton’s Global Alumni Forum in Jakarta, Indonesia in June, IGEL organized a panel to discuss protecting natural resources and sustainable development. The report explores government regulation, non-profit work, and the palm oil, ecotourism and pulp and paper industries.