Sustainability Now

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)

Jakub Malich and Anett Husi from MSCI ESG Research discuss how companies with better ESG ratings have a lower cost of capital, impacting financial performance. They explore the relationship between ESG ratings and capital access, sustainability's impact on cost of capital, and the correlation between ESG factors and cost of capital across industries.

Our demand for electricity is growing for the first time in decades. Nuclear energy is being proffered as the answer to our voracious energy-appetites. But are investors capable of propping up an industry with so much complexity and risk? This episode provides an answer.Host: Michael Disabato, MSCI ESG ResearchGuest: Elchin Mammadov, MSCI ESG Research

Meggin Thwing Eastman from MSCI ESG Research discusses impact materiality vs financial materiality, the EU's CSRD, and the importance of clear, measurable data for aligning investments with social and environmental concerns.