Sustainability Now

This podcast discusses the impact of El Nino on global crop yields and the debt levels of economies. It explores the effects of El Nino on the global economy, including extreme weather events and economic damage. The potential effects on global food markets, inflation, and government debt are explored. The need for bilateral lending and advanced risk modeling to address fiscal risk events is discussed. The podcast emphasizes the uncertainties and potential impacts of El Nino on relief efforts, extreme weather events, and climate adaptation investing.

Liz Houston, ESG Research at MSCI, discusses the challenges and environmental impacts of textile waste in the fashion industry. Topics include ineffective recycling programs, the difficulties of turning clothing waste into new clothing, and the EU's sustainable textile strategy. The podcast also explores how big European companies are investing in joint ventures to tackle waste and the potential regulatory implications for fashion brands.

The podcast discusses the EU regulations on sustainable finance and their impact on the investment landscape in Europe. It explores the challenges and concerns faced by funds in accurately representing their sustainability credentials. The absence of investments aligned with taxonomy regulations in Article 8 and Article 9 funds raises concerns about investor trust. Compliance and equilibrium are emphasized as important factors as these regulations evolve.

Tanya Matanda & Harlan Tufford from MSCI ESG Research discuss the expanding presence of AI in various industries. They highlight the importance of having AI experts on the board and address information asymmetry. They also explore the potential of AI tools to assist directors in obtaining and analyzing company data. The podcast emphasizes the necessity for directors to possess AI knowledge and the significance of proper governance structures.

Commodities like palm oil, beef and cocoa are intertwined with deforestation. The EU wants to change this. We talk about the bloc’s latest law and how it’s going to ask food companies to take supply chain due diligence and traceability to a whole new level.  Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG ResearchGuest: Cole Martin, MSCI ESG Research[Cole Martin would like to thank Marc Lieberman for his contributions to this episode]

Airlines have been offering customers with the option to purchase carbon credits or to support sustainable aviation fuel as they are buying a plane ticket. The airlines claim in doing so, the customer can lower the emissions of their trip and thereby lessen its impact on climate change. Sounds great! But, is that true? Are your emissions really lowered by those carbon credits? And can airlines use the promise of abated emissions, or better yet, sustainable fuels, to claim they are already carbon neutral? On this episode, we discuss aviation’s ambitious climate plans, why some of the advertising around these plans has gotten the industry in to legal trouble, and what the future holds for airlines and passengers that are worried about their carbon emissions.Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG Research Guests: Mike Disabato, MSCI ESG Research

User privacy on internet platforms is sliding higher up the “to do” list of the EU’s regulators. Five years after a trailblazing law was passed – the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – we’re starting to see its enforcement moving up a notch. For big tech companies that rely on personalized advertising, like Meta and Alphabet, their future in the EU is starting to look a little more complicated. Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG ResearchGuests: Yoon Young Chung & Andrew Young, MSCI ESG ResearchProducer: Gabriela de la Serna, MSCI ESG Research

Our planet’s hottest days on record were recorded July 3 to July 5. Global average temperatures rose to a new high of 62.9 Fahrenheit. And even as the days get less sweltering, we all seem to be collectively looking around wondering what might happen next month. It is a collective fear that doesn’t seem to have rattled the market. Even so, today we discuss what the ever increasing temperatures mean for the companies you invest in and what cities might be most affected in the coming decades if the world continues to warm.Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI ESG Research Guests: Mathew Lee, MSCI ESG Research

The EU is ironing out the final details of its Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. We look at what it could mean for how companies identify, mitigate and report on their impacts on human rights. It’s a pioneering step that not only stands to affect European companies, but global ones that earn revenue in the EU market.Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG ResearchGuests: Aura Toader & Leslie Swynghedauw, MSCI ESG Research

Part of proxy season is over, so we take a look at the landscape of shareholder proposals. And it is well known for to those who are closely watching shareholder proposals that ESG proposals have pretty much plummeted this year vs. last year and previous years – but why is that? Are ESG shareholder proposals losing steam and momentum? Or is that maybe too simple of a reading of the data? We also discuss the new crop of proposals coming out from a set of contrarian shareholder groups that buck the trend of proposals to date.Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI ESG ResearchGuest: Harlan Tufford, MSCI ESG Research