Our interviews and other work we have done with boards show that management typically drives a company’s climate agenda. The board’s role is, at most, one of oversight—rightly so, in our view, given the board’s responsibilities more generally. But that role is growing in importance. As the debate about climate evolves, boards and business leaders will increasingly be expected to have an informed and well-reasoned approach to climate governance in their companies. Drawing from our research, we have identified eight hallmarks of meaningful climate oversight. In this article we’ll describe them and offer our perspective on the associated set of issues that corporate leaders must grapple with as they decide how to incorporate climate issues into their company’s governance.