The first far-reaching climate-change bill is headed for the Senate floor after Labor Day, heating up the debate in Congress and in corporate boardrooms about the costs and benefits of stricter environmental regulations. The Climate Security Act, spearheaded by Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and John Warner (R.-Va.), would reduce greenhouse emissions 65% by 2050. The Chamber of Commerce is campaigning against the bill and mandated standards, while other corporate leaders favor increased regulation because, they say, it's good for the environment and it's good for the bottom line.

It's too early to determine the outcome, but even opponents recognize the issue won't go away any time soon. The word "sustainability," code for the ability to tackle environmental, social and economic concerns and risks through automation, has become part of the corporate governance vernacular. Up to now, though, the technology hasn't been available to address these issues in a systematic way. "While most executives agree that a green strategy is a good idea, few know how to value or prioritize their initiatives," says Kimberly Knickle, practice director of IDC Manufacturing Insights. "They struggle with the business case, waiting to implement strategies until outcomes can be predicted more reliably."

In recent weeks, however, the drive to introduce tools to measure and manage the environmental impact of corporate decisions has accelerated. SAS Institute Inc., a maker of business intelligence software, recently launched widescale distribution of a decision-support software platform for proactively identifying strategies across an enterprise that measure sustainability activities, report ongoing performance, suggest ways to improve performance and manage and forecast the resources needed to achieve the desired goals.