Business responsibility regarding climate change in Latin America: An empirical analysis from Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project developers

From a business perspective, climate change mitigation offers certain opportunities that drive the market for new business, and presents an opportunity to engage in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). In this study, we examine the motivation for companies in Latin America to implement Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects, whether CDM encourages the adoption of CSR practices, and the benefits companies gain from adopting such practices. The data are taken from a survey of project developer companies in Brazil, Mexico and Peru. The results show that government influence and/or incentives have been very low. The benefits of participating in such projects include being viewed as industry leaders in the country and improving corporate reputation.