Mahidol professor calls for climate-ready MBA training

A Mahidol University professor says MBA programs need to treat climate change as a core management issue, not an elective, as businesses face rising physical and transition risks. His research argues that business schools must build climate literacy, data skills and hands-on experience to prepare graduates for real-world decision-making.

Why it matters: - Climate change is now shaping strategy, finance, operations, supply chains, regulation and long-term business resilience. - MBA graduates who lack climate literacy may be less prepared to manage physical risks such as floods and droughts, and transition risks such as carbon rules and disclosure demands. - Business schools that integrate climate skills across the curriculum can better prepare managers for a climate-constrained economy.

What happened: - Professor Nattavud Pimpa of the College of Management, Mahidol University (CMMU), outlined research on climate change and management education. - His work argues that climate education should move beyond sustainability electives and into core MBA and MM courses. - Pimpa framed climate literacy as part of management literacy, with climate change affecting every major business function. - The source includes a linked video: More information.

The details: - Pimpa said climate change now affects investment decisions, marketing, finance and operations, not just environmental management. - Business students need a portfolio of climate competencies, not one isolated skill. - Climate-smart business thinking is one key competency, including systems thinking, critical thinking and problem-solving. - Carbon and climate literacy is another priority, including carbon accounting, Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions, greenhouse-gas inventories, supply-chain decarbonisation and the GHG Protocol. - The research also identifies climate disclosure, carbon markets, decarbonisation and ESG or climate data analysis as areas that need stronger technical preparation. - Data competency is essential for emissions tracking, forecasting, scenario analysis and impact evaluation. - Tools named in the study include Excel, R, Python, GIS and climate-modelling applications. - Leadership and communication skills also matter, including negotiation, stakeholder engagement and ethical judgement.

Between the lines: - The research suggests many MBA programs are still treating climate change as a side topic instead of a core business capability. - Pimpa’s view is that managers do not need to become climate scientists, but they do need enough technical fluency to make better decisions. - The emphasis on experiential learning signals a shift away from lecture-only teaching toward practical business application. - Partnerships with companies, communities, scientists, engineers, lawyers, policymakers and data specialists could become necessary for meaningful climate training.

What's next: - CMMU’s research points to simulation-based learning, live business cases, sustainability audits, experiential projects and game-based learning as ways to build job readiness. - Students may be asked to assess the carbon footprint of an SME, test sustainability claims against evidence or role-play climate negotiations. - Internships, consulting projects and industry collaborations are expected to help students turn climate knowledge into professional capability. - Pimpa’s research calls for climate education to be integrated systematically across Thai MBA and MM programs. - Earlier work on Thailand’s agricultural business sector highlights the practical stakes, including irregular rainfall, rising temperatures, lower productivity, economic instability, food security risks and livelihood pressures.

The bottom line: - The next generation of business education is being pushed toward one goal: graduates who can understand climate risk, analyze business impacts and turn that analysis into action.