Sustainability Now

Meghna Mehta, an expert in green bonds, discusses the role of green bonds in financing climate adaptation projects for utilities, highlighting the increasing need in the face of extreme weather events. She talks about specific projects, the evaluation of initiatives by investors, and the significance of companies and utilities preparing for climate risks. The chapter also explores regulatory requirements for utilities to plan for wildfires and the rising trend of adaptation funding and green bonds in various sectors.

Oliver Marchand, Global Head of Climate Research, MSCI ESG Research, discusses the lack of progress in meeting climate goals, lobbying efforts of the nuclear industry, and the importance of low carbon energy sources at COP 28. They also touch on debates about admissions accounting and updates from the COP conference, as well as the main events, shift towards pragmatism, and resilience conversations at COP 28.

Cole Martin, Researcher at MSCI ESG Research, joins host Bentley Kaplan to discuss the environmental impact and conflicts surrounding the bottled water industry. They explore the rise of bottled water, plastic waste issues, legal battles, and challenges faced by companies and investors. The podcast also highlights the use of plastic packaging, hazardous chemicals released by microplastics, and recycling efforts. Additionally, they delve into the environmental consequences, water extraction practices, climate change effects, and the pressure faced by companies to manage water sources and address climate change.

Chris Cote, ESG Research at MSCI, joins the discussion on the future of oil and gas producers. They analyze the factors influencing oil demand growth including China and India's consumption, electrification of the transportation sector, and expansion of natural gas. They also explore how oil and gas companies are positioning themselves in a low-carbon transition and compare the strategies of American and European companies. The chapter also covers the challenges and strategies for long-term success in the industry amidst uncertain demand.

You trust a retail store to be convenient. You can walk in and get basically anything you need - be it food, clothes, face wash, batteries...whatever. Retail companies have built their brands on that convenience and affordability factor. But would you trust a retail company to be your healthcare provider? Well they are betting on that - Amazon, Walmart, and others are getting into the healthcare game. And in this episode, we discuss what it might look like to have an Amazon employee administer a flu test.Host: Gabriela de la Serna, MSCI ESG ResearchGuest: Namita Nair, MSCI ESG Research

This podcast recap episode covers progress on previously discussed topics: Adani Group addressing governance concerns, United Auto Workers strikes, Inflation Reduction Act impact, EPA's methane rule effects on the gas industry, and Exxon's change after activist investor takeover.

The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded on Monday to Claudia Goldin, a Harvard professor, for her work to advance the world’s understanding of women in the work force. She made history by being the first woman to win the award solo rather than sharing in the prize. To honor her achievement, we discussed our own gender pay gap research that is in part informed by academics like Dr. Goldin, focusing on a new regulation in Japan that mandated companies disclose their pay gap data. And then, after we go through the numbers, we have a special part of this episode where colleagues come on to share their experiences of work before and during motherhood. Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI ESG ResearchGuest: Yukie Shibano, Laura Nishikawa, Gillian Mollod, Siyu Liu, and Linda-Eling Lee, MSCI ESG Research and MSCI Sustainability Institute 

Zohir Uddin and David Bokern from MSCI ESG Research discuss the new climate reporting bills in California, focusing on the details of the bills, the potential impact of referencing global reporting standards, the challenges of reporting scope 3 emissions, and the implications for companies and investors in reporting their contribution to and risk from climate change.

Despite growing demand for clean energy, price parity with fossil fuels and friendly policies, renewable energy companies are facing some tough headwinds. We take a look at why that's happening and what Orsted's no good, very bad August can tell us about the rest of the industry.Host: Margarita Grabert, MSCI ESG ResearchGuest: Elchin Mammadov, MSCI ESG Research

Yu Ishihara, MSCI ES discusses the demands made by the United Auto Workers in the US and the implications for ESG. They touch on wage increases, CEO pay disparities, and the impact of transitioning to electric vehicles. The podcast explores the potential consequences of EVs for UAW workers, including job cuts and plant closures. It also discusses labor management practices, union coverage, strikes, and challenges in the transition to EVs. The importance of finding a balance between economic needs and worker well-being in the EV market is highlighted.