A recent report from CDP highlights 29 companies that are adjusting their business strategies to integrate the possibility of a future government-mandated price on carbon. More than half of the companies disclosed in this report come from the energy or utilities sectors, though companies from other sectors (including financial, consumer staples, information technology, etc.) are involved as well. Carbon pricing estimates range widely among companies, from Microsoft’s lower estimate of $6-7/ton CO2e, to Exxon Mobil’s higher estimate of $60/ton CO2e. U.S. government estimates the social cost of carbon emissions will be $37-57/ton CO2e in 2015.

As the prospect of a price on carbon becomes more likely, many companies, including those who have historically denied climate change or opposed government regulation of greenhouse gas emissions, are realizing the importance of including carbon pricing in their business strategy. Most of the nation’s top oil and gas companies are major donors to the Republican Party, which has historically opposed government action to regulate emissions and set a carbon price. Assuming a price on carbon is inevitable, these companies are including that cost in their future financial projections, as well as identifying opportunities that will allow them to profit under such a policy.