ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines a broad analytical framework that will guide the empirical research into whether, how and why companies in different sectors have responded to the European Union (EU) Emissions Trading System (ETS). It focuses on the concept corporate climate strategies. The climate strategy of a company is revealed through the companys objectives concerning climate change mitigation and the actual mobilization of resources. Strategy formulation may be rooted in expectations from external stakeholders or from internal processes. The literature on corporate climate strategies has evolved in line with the broader environmental management and strategy literature that sees company strategies according to either a continuum model or typologies. Continuum-based classifications are frequently framed as linear stage-based, purporting to identify change in strategies over time. In the former case, a climate strategy may merely reflect the companys external public relations position as a facade to impress outsiders.
