The Sustainability Story

In this episode of the Sustainability Story, host Deborah Kidd, CFA, interviews Paula DiPerna, author and Special Advisor to the CDP. In her book, Pricing the Priceless: The Financial Transformation to Value the Planet, Solve the Climate Crisis, and Protect Our Most Precious Assets, Paula offers a compelling argument for the need to assign economic values to nature's essential resources. Paula takes us on a journey through history, world travel, case studies, and financial theory to demonstrate how bringing natural assets onto corporate and sovereign balance sheets, investing in resource-linked financial instruments, and putting a price on carbon are the keys to combating global warming and preserving the Earth's resources.

Josina Kamerling and Leena Linnainmaa, Secretary General of Directors' Institute Finland, and Chair of ecoDa's Advocacy Committee, have a conversation on the impact of the proposed new EU rules on corporate governance and due diligence on European companies and their board of directors.

In this episode of The Sustainability Story, host Andres Vinelli interviews Marcos Buscaglia, an economist and author of Beyond the ESG Portfolio: How Wall Street Can Help Democracies Survive. Marcos discusses the impact of capital markets on funding democracies and autocratic regimes, emphasizing the importance for investors to consider democracy amidst global democratic decline. He highlights the interconnectedness of countries and how a democratic decline in one nation can have repercussions worldwide. Marcos' insights shed light on the role of capital markets in shaping political landscapes and the need for ethical investment practices.

This episode of the Sustainability Story explores the world of impact investing in real estate, with a specific focus on affordable housing. Host Andres Vinelli is joined by Jeff Brenner, President and CEO of IMPACT Community Capital, an investment advisor dedicated to advancing opportunity in under-invested communities. They discuss the origins of IMPACT and its mission to make investments that have a positive impact on communities. They also delve into the challenges and opportunities in the affordable housing space and how impact investing can help address issues of poverty and equity. Tune in to learn more about the potential for investors in this asset class and the importance of building sustainable infrastructure for under-invested communities.

Thierry Philipponnat, Chief Economist at Finance Watch, shares his insights on the banking sector's crucial role in achieving a net zero economy. He highlights the challenges banks face in integrating climate risk into financial practices. The discussion delves into the EU’s Sustainable Finance Agenda, exposing a disconnect in sustainability information quality. Philipponnat emphasizes the alarming trend of companies misrepresenting climate risks and stresses the need for regulatory reforms. Urgency for sector-specific transition standards is called for to ensure effective planning towards sustainability.

2023 was a year of milestones for regulations and standards to improve sustainable investment transparency, comparability, and credibility. In this episode of The Sustainability Story, host Deborah Kidd, CFA, talks with James Alexander, chief executive at UKSIF. They discuss the new UK regulation for sustainable investment product labels, the IFRS international corporate sustainability disclosure standards, and the establishment of harmonized definitions for key responsible investment terms by the PRI, GSIA, and CFA Institute. James shares his views on the successes of the past year and the work that still needs to be done to create a sustainable finance system.

In this episode of the Sustainability Story podcast, Andres Vinelli is joined by Harriet Waters, the head of environmental sustainability at the University of Oxford. Harriet shares the highlights of Oxford's sustainability journey and explores the lessons learned that can be applied to other organizations. She discusses her personal journey into environmental issues and how she became involved in the field. Tune in to learn about Oxford's sustainability strategy and gain valuable insights for your own sustainability initiatives.

In this episode of The Sustainability Story, host Sandy Peters is joined by Brian Tomlinson, a managing director in Ernst & Young's financial accounting and advisory services practice. They discuss the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and its impact on non-EU-based multinationals. While the extraterritorial nature of the EU's reporting requirements may be known among policy experts, it is less understood by US companies and investors. The episode delves into the potential implications and importance of this directive for sustainability reporting and investment decision making.

As the world economy transitions from high carbon to low carbon, the largest global investment in history is underway. In this episode of The Sustainability Story, host Deborah Kidd, CFA, talks climate bonds, transition, and policy with Sean Kidney, CEO of Climate Bonds Initiative, an international NGO working to mobilize global capital for climate action. Learn how bond investors can both drive change and profit from a world that is rapidly evolving, and why Sean says the policy action he's seeing fills him with hope at what he calls our 11th hour.

Josina Kamerling, Head of Regulatory Outreach EMEA at CFA Institute, and Rob Bauer, Professor of Finance at School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University, and co-author of the paper "Private Shareholder Engagements on Material ESG Issues," discuss the main findings of his research and how private engagements can address financially material ESG issues while contributing to firm performance. Read the full report here: https://cfainst.is/3F9YbdT