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Medium Strategic Decision

Combating Climate Change

#Non-profit
ProHub Comment

This is a well-structured brainstorming case designed to test candidate creativity and policy analysis skills. The interviewer-led format with multiple questions progressively deepens the analysis from a high-level framework through stakeholder considerations, data interpretation, and implementation challenges. The case effectively balances environmental goals with practical concerns like equity, business impact, and political feasibility.

Estimated Time 15 minutes
Difficulty Medium
Source Columbia
50 / 100

The mayor of NYC was just elected based on her platform of creating a more environmentally sustainable city. During her campaign, she set a mandate to reduce the city’s emissions by 80% by 2050. Critics are skeptical of these lofty goals. But the mayor is determined to make this her number one priority and has hired your firm to design the city’s greenhouse gas reduction plan.

What factors would you consider when designing NYC’s greenhouse gas reduction plan?

Clarifying Information

  1. There is no specific budget, but the mayor doesn’t want the plan to require an increase in taxes for her constituents
  2. The plan is just focused on NYC, not the state of NY
  3. The mayor is open to any and all ideas you might have, so get creative!

A newly elected NYC mayor has mandated an 80% emissions reduction by 2050 and hired a consulting firm to design the plan. The case walks through framework development, emissions trading policy analysis, identification of high-impact sectors (residential buildings and heating), implementation considerations, transparency mechanisms, and supplementary LEED subsidy programs. The case emphasizes equity concerns, particularly impacts on lower-income residents and renters.

Key Insights:

  1. Residential buildings account for 34% of NYC’s emissions with space heating as the primary source, making them the natural initial focus despite fragmented ownership
  2. Emissions cap-and-trade offers market efficiency but creates implementation challenges around compliance tracking, political permit allocation, and potential regressive impacts on low-income populations
  3. Multi-faceted approach needed: combining long-term cap-and-trade with short-term LEED subsidies, plus robust transparency and stakeholder engagement to manage political risk
  4. Design phase considerations must balance environmental targets with equity concerns, particularly rental cost impacts and affordability preservation