Sept. 19, 2008 - Most Wisconsin business leaders say they're skeptical about climate change - but that won't stop them from looking for ways to profit from low-carbon technologies, according to a new survey.

Conducted on behalf of the Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corp. (WECC), a statewide energy efficiency initiative, the survey reveals that though business leaders believe climate change is likely to have a negative impact on the economy, most do report having reduced energy use and increased recycling to address the issue.

"The main takeaway from the survey is that we don’t need to retool our message to bring Wisconsin businesses on board when it comes to reducing the state’s carbon footprint," says Kathy Kuntz, WECC’s director of energy programs. "They are still motivated by the business advantages of energy efficiencies, and that’s what we need to keep talking about."

Other key findings include:

Differences among industry types– Manufacturing company executives tend to be more skeptical of regulatory responses to climate change than execs in the trade and service sectors. This is presumably because they perceive governmental action will affect their competitiveness more, according to the report author.

Differences among company sizes – Larger companies, concerned with corporate reputation, tend to take climate change into consideration in decision-making more often than smaller companies do.

Policy implications – Most business leaders surveyed, favor financial incentives to encourage energy conservation.

To download the report, click here (PDF).