Operationalizing corporate climate action through five research frontiers

Operationalizing corporate climate action through five research frontiers | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Operationalizing corporate climate action through five research frontiers Ramana Gudipudi, Luis Costa, Ponraj Arumugam, Matthew Agarwala, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7214770/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Corporations possess unparalleled agency to drive global net-zero transitions, yet commitments remain disconnected from action. Realizing this potential requires clearer guidance and stronger alignment between goals and implementation. Current protocols fail to support companies in measuring their emissions accurately. Our analysis reveals companies changing boundaries experience emission fluctuations exceeding 30,000% in some sectors, while strategic emission factor selection can artificially show 30% reductions despite actual increases. This creates inconsistencies that cascade across their entire net-zero journey through abstract sectoral pathways and inadequate verification mechanisms. Co-creating industry-specific blueprints with representative corporations through five transformative research frontiers can address these systemic barriers. They deliver pragmatic tools for standardized emission accounting, science-aligned targets, dynamic cost modeling, and robust verification mechanisms. The proposed framework could translate climate science into actionable corporate strategies, equipping businesses as planetary stewards while enabling targeted policy incentives and strategic capital allocation. Earth and environmental sciences/Climate sciences/Climate change/Climate-change mitigation Scientific community and society/Business and industry/Industry Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupplementaryInformation.pdf Supplementary Information on Emission Factor Analysis and Decarbonization Simulation Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7214770","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":490891831,"identity":"d43ae1d6-1cf7-461d-a34c-35c49d788238","order_by":0,"name":"Ramana 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