Sustainability Now

Mathew Lee, a researcher at MSCI focusing on the risks of extreme heat, dives into the complex world of air conditioning as a response to climate change. He discusses how traditional AC systems, while providing crucial relief from heat waves, can paradoxically contribute to global warming. Innovations like retrofitting units to capture carbon and the potential of heat pumps are explored as sustainable alternatives. Lee also highlights investment opportunities in cooling technologies, especially in emerging markets where demand is soaring.

Today is the last part of a three part series we've done for ESG now: we examine whether investors should care about incorporating environmental data into equity analysis. In previous episodes we discussed the social pillar and the governance pillar, now its on to the environmental pillar of our ESG ratings model. We look at the environmental pillar as a whole and the themes that build it and tell you whether companies that scored well on each theme performed better than their lower scoring peers.If you want to read the blog that is associated with this podcast, here is the link: https://www.msci.com/www/blog-posts/managing-climate-change-risks/04992064034Guest: Xinxin Wang, MSCI Research; Elchin Mammadov, MSCI ESG Research Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI ESG Research

It’s climate week in The Big Apple! And the perfect time to take a look at different investment approaches to a low-carbon transition. We talk through financial risks and opportunities for companies, transition funds, and how the things are playing out in bond markets. Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG ResearchGuests: Meggin Eastman, Chris Cote & Michael Ridley, MSCI ESG Research

Flooding is one the costliest of all natural hazards and climate change is raising the stakes. In this episode, we discuss the need for precise asset locations and forward-looking climate models to figure out your risk exposure. Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG ResearchGuest: Matthias Kemter, MSCI ESG Research

The 2024 proxy season has come and gone. In recent years, environmental and social proposals were abundant and saw record high support among shareholders. But what about this year? In this episode we take you through our findings from the 2024 proxy season, what they mean for sustainable investing, and where the future is liking headed. Host: Michael Disabato, MSCI ESG ResearchGuest: Jonathan Ponder, MSCI ESG Research

Antimicrobial resistance is getting worse. Set to impact healthcare, agriculture and insurance, it’s a phenomenon worth paying attention to. On this episode, we take a look at whether there’s an investment case for fighting back against the superbugs. Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG ResearchGuest: Namita Nair, MSCI ESG Research

We periodically put out this report called the Net-Zero Tracker, and it examines the progress by the world’s listed companies toward curbing climate risk. This episode is a dive into the most important bits of our most recently published report. Link to the Net-Zero Tracker: The MSCI Sustainability Institute Net-Zero Tracker Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI ESG ResearchGuest: Sylvain Vanston, MSCI ESG Research

The social pillar has often been maligned as the ignored sibling of the ESG acronym. In its essence, the social pillar is a measurement of how a company, its employees, its products, and the community it operates in are supported and often challenged. For this episode, we show you why that all matters for measuring a company’s market performance.Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI ESG ResearchGuest: Liz Houston, MSCI ESG Research; Xinxin Wang, MSCI ESG & Climate Solutions Research

Guilherme de Melo Silva from MSCI ESG Research discusses companies facing financial penalties for missing sustainability targets with sustainability-linked bonds. The podcast explores how companies like Public Power Corporation and NL are adapting and improving their sustainability commitments despite setbacks.

Good governance is foundational to effective capital markets, promoting accountability, transparency and sound decision-making aligned with investor interests. But how do those potential benefits translate into market performance? Well today, we answer that question for you! We answer the question: does governance even matter.If you want to read the blog mentioned in this podcast, it can be found here: https://www.msci.com/www/blog-posts/corporate-governance-market/04784692180Host: Mike Disabato (MSCI ESG Research)Guest: Xinxin Wang (MSCI ESG & Climate Solutions Research)