India, Nov. 14 -- As a professor of economics and public policy, I study what motivates global businesses to engage in environmentally friendly behavior. For my new book, "Corporations at Climate Crossroads," I interviewed executives and analyzed corporate climate actions and environmental performance of Global 500 and S&P 500 companies over the past decade.

These companies' climate decisions are driven by a complex interplay of pressures from existing and future laws and the need to earn goodwill with employees, customers, investors, regulators and others.

States wield influence, too

In the US, state climate regulations affect multinational corporations. That's especially true in California - the world's fifth largest economy and the ...