Duke Energy is among the biggest electric power companies in the United States and one of the largest emitters of greenhouse-gas emissions in the world. It serves four million electricity customers, boasts 18,250 employees and controls about $63 billion in assets that together generate $12 billion in annual revenues. The chief executive heading up this company is James Rogers, described by many as “silver-tongued” for his ability to convince many of his industry peers that climate legislation makes sense. Rogers, who oversees about 36,000 megawatts of coal-heavy generating capacity in the Carolinas and Midwest, supports the idea of cap-and-trade legislation. More than that, after years of battling unknowns he wants greater certainty for his industry.

Corporate Knights caught up with Rogers at the biennial GLOBE Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, in March. Here is an edited excerpt from that wide-ranging discussion, which touched on everything from the importance of collaborating with China to the job-creation benefits of emissions regulation: