What do you believe is the single most important factor driving up the cost of living in Nigeria?

Schemes linking corporate executives' pay to how far their firms cut their greenhouse gas emissions are ineffective, new research says.

Emmanuel Morrison, of Teesside University, analyzed data on 1,970 multi-national corporations based in 50 countries, including the UK, and found that the schemes were merely "engaging in superficial impressions."

Many large companies have brought in schemes offering executives bonuses for cutting their firms carbon dioxide emissions. But Mr. Morrison's research found that among the multi-nationals he studied, the bonuses had almost no effect.

He told the British Academy of Management conference at the Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University, "Multi-national corporations might invest in certain board sustainability characteristics to portray a false positive image but still produce high emissions. This is further backed by the notion that multi-national corporations with high environmental threats are more inclined to invest in sustainability as an image management tool to preserve their legitimacy.

"The global community faces challenges in establishing sustainable business practices to enhance sustainability and lower greenhouse gas emissions. There is, however, minimal evidence on the potential of corporate governance processes in tackling or mitigating climate change risks."

• Read More