Understanding trade-offs between environmental and social goals

In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we sit down with Nikita Singhal on the sidelines of The Nest Climate Campus at Climate Week NYC.  

Nikita is Managing Director and Co-Head of Sustainable Investment and ESG at Lazard Asset Management, a global asset manager with more than $200 billion in assets under management. She was also a speaker at the event S&P Global Sustainable1 hosted during Climate Week NYC.  

In the interview, Nikita talks about the need to break out of silos to connect the dots between different types of stakeholders, like economists, the finance community and climate scientists.  

“Economists are building climate risk models and trying to build it into using econometric tools, but often they may be divorced from the reality of the science,” she says. "Connecting conversations across silos from science to economics to finance to data is extremely important.” 

She also highlights the need to balance environmental and social goals — or the idea that credible energy transition plans must also account for the impact on people and communities.  

“I grew up in Thailand and India, and I was very conscious growing up of the inherent trade-offs between environmental and social goals,” Nikita tells us. "A lot of countries in emerging markets such as India still have a long way to go in terms of socioeconomic development.” 

Find prior episodes for Climate Week NYC here:  

PRI CEO talks Asia's critical role in reaching net-zero, Climate Week takeaways: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/pri-ceo-talks-asia-s-critical-role-in-reaching-net-zero-climate-week-takeaways   

Unpacking government’s role in catalyzing low-carbon solutions: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/unpacking-government-s-role-in-catalyzing-low-carbon-solutions   

At Climate Week NYC, seeking solutions at the nexus of climate, water and social issues: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/at-climate-week-nyc-seeking-solutions-at-the-nexus-of-climate-water-and-social-issues  

At Climate Week NYC, using collaboration to tackle supply chain emissions: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/at-climate-week-nyc-using-collaboration-to-tackle-supply-chain-emissions  

On the ground at Climate Week NYC: The challenge of Scope 3 emissions: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/on-the-ground-at-climate-week-nyc-the-challenge-of-scope-3-emissions   

What to expect from Climate Week NYC:  https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/what-to-expect-from-climate-week-nyc-2023  

This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1, a part of S&P Global.  

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