All Things Sustainable

Today, March 8, is International Women’s Day, and to mark the occasion we’re bringing you the latest in our special series of the ESG Insider podcast focused on women in leadership. We’re talking to Marita Zuraitis, CEO of Horace Mann, a financial services and insurance company that serves U.S. public educators.  Marita tells us how she handles the unconscious bias she has encountered on her path to the C-suite.   “I can't tell you how many times somebody handed me their coat,” she says. “Now we call it unconscious bias, and we talk about making people aware of their unconscious biases. I didn't have a label for it until a lot of the corporate social responsibility and ESG push that we see today.”  Marita also discusses how her company works to promote diversity, equity and inclusion for its workforce and for its customer base, which is 75% women.    "We work really hard to support our very heavily concentrated female customer base,” she says. "Females in our customer base are often the head of household, often working on and controlling the finances in the household, and many of those people are women of color. So concentrating our efforts on financial wellness and financial planning for our sector was something that we thought we could do to get right to the issue of helping females protect what they have today and secure their long-term financial future.”  Diversity in leadership has received increasing attention in recent years from stakeholders in the sustainability world. Investors have pushed for diversity on company boards and management teams, and in some parts of the world, that push has extended to laws and regulations. But the number of women in top roles remains low. Read recent research from S&P Global on women in leadership here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/insights/featured/special-editorial/women-ceos-leadership-for-a-diverse-future  And here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/insights/featured/special-editorial/the-path-to-gender-parity  You can listen to previous episodes in our Women in Leadership series here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/women-in-leadership-seventh-generation-ceo-on-importance-of-being-radically-human-   And here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/women-in-leadership-how-norwegian-industrial-ceo-puts-diversity-on-the-agenda   We'd love to hear from you. To give us feedback on this episode or share ideas for future episodes, please contact hosts Lindsey Hall (lindsey.hall@spglobal.com) and Esther Whieldon (esther.whieldon@spglobal.com).   Photo source: Horace Mann Copyright ©2023 by S&P Global    DISCLAIMER    This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1, a part of S&P Global.   By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties.    S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST. 

To mark Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day March 8, we’re bringing you a special series of the ESG Insider podcast focused on women in leadership. We’ll be speaking to women CEOs and executives from across industries and around the globe.  In our second interview of the series we interview Alison Whritenour, CEO of Seventh Generation, a U.S. producer of eco-friendly cleaning, paper and personal care products.   Alison has been at Seventh Generation for more than a decade and became its CEO in July 2021. She describes her leadership style as "radically human" — meaning she leads with an emphasis on transparency and collaboration, and by leaning into listening to the advice and experience of her team. She also describes her decisions along her career path as based on connecting the things that she personally cares about with her day-to-day work.   “I really believe that leaders are at their best when they can be themselves, and that then really opens up the door for folks around them to feel comfortable and feel like they can approach leaders with questions, challenges, opportunities,” she says.   Diversity in leadership has received increasing attention in recent years from stakeholders in the sustainability world. Investors have pushed for diversity on company boards and management teams, and in some parts of the world, that push has extended to laws and regulations. But the number of women in top roles remains low. Recent research from S&P Global found that women represented just 5.4% of CEOs in 2022, slightly up from 5% in 2021. You can read that research here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/insights/featured/special-editorial/women-ceos-leadership-for-a-diverse-future   We'd love to hear from you. To give us feedback on this episode or share ideas for future episodes, please contact hosts Lindsey Hall (lindsey.hall@spglobal.com) and Esther Whieldon (esther.whieldon@spglobal.com).   Photo source: Seventh Generation  Copyright ©2023 by S&P Global    DISCLAIMER    This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1, a part of S&P Global.   By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties.    S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST. 

March is Women’s History Month and March 8 is International Women’s Day. To mark the occasion, we’re bringing you a special series of the ESG Insider podcast focused on women in leadership. We’ll be speaking to women CEOs and executives from across industries and around the globe.  In our first interview of the series, we speak to Hilde Aasheim, CEO of Norsk Hydro, a large Norwegian aluminum and energy producer with a big focus on renewables and operations in 40 countries. She tells us how she works with women across her company to help them develop their careers. She also explains her career path to the C-suite, and how she approaches diversity, equity and inclusion in her role.   “Leadership is a balancing act. You have to work with your heart and your head; you have to work short term and long term,” Hilde says.  Diversity in leadership has received increasing attention in recent years from stakeholders in the sustainability world. Investors have pushed for diversity on company boards and management teams, and in some parts of the world, that push has extended to laws and regulations. But the number of women in top roles remains low. Recent research from S&P Global found that women represented just 5.4% of CEOs in 2022, slightly up from 5% in 2021. You can read that research here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/insights/featured/special-editorial/women-ceos-leadership-for-a-diverse-future   We'd love to hear from you. To give us feedback on this episode or share ideas for future episodes, please contact hosts Lindsey Hall (lindsey.hall@spglobal.com) and Esther Whieldon (esther.whieldon@spglobal.com).   Photo source: Norsk Hydro  Copyright ©2023 by S&P Global    DISCLAIMER    This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1, a part of S&P Global.   By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties.    S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.

Last week, a few thousand sustainability professionals gathered for the annual GreenBiz conference hosted by GreenBiz Group. In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we’re on the ground talking with panelists and attendees about the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the space — from regulation, disclosure requirements and supply chains to environmental justice, employee wellbeing and burnout.   Many attendees expressed frustration and a general sense of being overwhelmed by the pace of change and the challenges facing the sustainability space. In the face of this uncertainty, the message from many panelists was: Whatever the topic, you have to start somewhere.   We hear from Kentaro Kawamori, CEO of climate software firm Persefoni, who urges companies to avoid “analysis paralysis.”  “You’ve just got to get started. And if you’re searching for perfect, you’re never going to find it,” Kentaro says.  We talk to Deloitte’s Kristen Sullivan and Evan Harvey, who led a three-hour, standing-room-only climate disclosure bootcamp at the conference to help companies understand how proposed rules from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission could impact them.    “As we were wrapping up, we were trying to get a pulse on the audience in terms of... did this help you feel more prepared, this type of a session?” Kristen says. “The answer was ‘yes — and at the same time, I’m really scared.’”   We also speak to Yinka Bode-George, CEO of environmental justice-focused nonprofit Sustain our Future Foundation.   "People are getting the idea that environmental justice is not just this nice-to-have, it's actually a really central component of winning on the climate crisis and putting forward the most effective solutions," Yinka tells us.  In the episode, we also sit down with Tim Mohin, the former CEO of international standards organization the Global Reporting Initiative, or GRI; Nasdaq Global Head of ESG Solutions Randall Hopkins; UPS Sustainability Director Stakeholder Engagement Elba Pareja-Gallagher; Zack Parisa, CEO of forest carbon marketplace the Natural Capital Exchange, or NCX; and Jared Connors from supply chain sustainability management company Assent.  S&P Global Sustainable1 was a sponsor of the GreenBiz conference.  Listen to our episode on the SEC’s climate disclosure rule here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/unpacking-implications-of-the-sec-s-proposed-climate-disclosure-rule  We'd love to hear from you. To give us feedback on this episode or share ideas for future episodes, please contact hosts Lindsey Hall (lindsey.hall@spglobal.com) and Esther Whieldon (esther.whieldon@spglobal.com).  Photo source: Getty Images   Copyright ©2023 by S&P Global   DISCLAIMER   By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties.   S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.

After more than 16 years leading the US Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment, CEO Lisa Woll is stepping down. In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, she reflects on how sustainable investing has changed during that time, and where she sees the field going next following US SIF's latest biennial report on sustainable investing.  That report identified $8.4 trillion in total US sustainable investment assets under management at the beginning of 2022. To put that figure in context, $8.4 trillion is 12.6% of total US assets under professional management.  US SIF's mission is to "rapidly shift investment practices toward sustainability, focusing on long-term investment and the generation of positive social and environmental impacts." The forum, which currently has members that collectively represent about $5 trillion in assets under management or advisement, recently released its biennial report on sustainable investing.   Listen to our episode on the US Securities and Exchange Commission's climate disclosure rule here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unpacking-implications-of-the-secs-proposed/id1475521006?i=1000555972416   Listen to our episode on the US Securities and Exchange Commission's fund rules here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unpacking-the-secs-proposed-esg-fund-rules/id1475521006?i=1000568442096   Check out our episode on the US Department of Labor's rule on using ESG funds in 401k funds and pension plans here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-esg-implications-of-a-proposed-us-labor-department-rule/id1475521006?i=1000489230036   We'd love to hear from you. To give us feedback on this episode or share ideas for future episodes, please contact hosts Lindsey Hall (lindsey.hall@spglobal.com) and Esther Whieldon (esther.whieldon@spglobal.com). Photo source: Getty Images  Copyright ©2023 by S&P Global  DISCLAIMER  By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties.  S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST. 

Taxonomies: This is a topic that has dominated many conversations in the sustainability world in recent years. In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we explore the growing number of taxonomies around the world. In simple terms, a taxonomy is a kind of dictionary of sustainable activities designed to provide clarity on which economic activities are sustainable and to support investment flows into those activities. A recently released report from international conservation organization WWF and German sustainable finance think tank Climate & Company finds dozens of sustainable finance taxonomies have been introduced or are being developed across the globe.   To learn more about the role of taxonomies, we speak to two of the report’s authors: Jochen Krimphoff, who is Data, Tools and Methodology Lead for WWF's Greening Financial Regulation Initiative, and Climate & Co. Analyst Daniel Scharwies. We also talk with Matthew Townsend, Co-Head of the International Environmental, Climate and Regulatory Law Groups at law firm Allen & Overy.   Read the report from WWF and Climate & Co. here: https://wwfin.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/when_finance_talks_nature.pdf     We'd love to hear from you. To give us feedback on this episode or share ideas for future episodes, please contact hosts Lindsey Hall (lindsey.hall@spglobal.com) and Esther Whieldon (esther.whieldon@spglobal.com).    *Episode description updated Feb. 13, 2023, to correct the title of Climate & Company. Copyright ©2023 by S&P Global   DISCLAIMER   By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties.   S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.

In the past few years, hundreds of financial institutions have made big announcements about becoming net zero or carbon neutral by 2050.   But S&P Global Sustainable1 data indicates that many of these pledges don’t address Scope 3 financed emissions, which come from the investments financial institutions make or the loans they finance. These account for the bulk of the industry’s emissions.   In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we’re digging into the steps financial institutions are taking to reduce emissions across their value chain. We speak to Laurent Babikian from environmental nonprofit CDP. We hear from Samu Slotte, the Global Head of Sustainable Finance at big Danish lender Danske Bank. And we talk with Antoni Ballabriga, the Global Head of Responsible Business at Spanish bank BBVA.   Read research from S&P Global Sustainable1 on how financial institutions are addressing financed emissions here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/insights/financed-emissions-are-missing-from-many-firms-net-zero-plans   We'd love to hear from you. To give us feedback on this episode or share ideas for future episodes, please contact hosts Lindsey Hall (lindsey.hall@spglobal.com) and Esther Whieldon (esther.whieldon@spglobal.com).  Copyright ©2023 by S&P Global  DISCLAIMER  By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties.  S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.

The annual Davos summit just ended, and one of the topics of discussion at this World Economic Forum event was stakeholder capitalism. In simple terms, stakeholder capitalism is the idea that companies are responsible to a wide range of stakeholders, including their customers, employees, suppliers and communities, as well as their shareholders. A few years ago, this was a big topic at Davos as the World Economic Forum helped develop a set of “Stakeholder Capitalism Metrics” to offer companies universal, comparable disclosures focused on people, planet, prosperity and governance.  In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we look at how discussions of stakeholder capitalism are evolving.   "It's not going away — if anything, our community of companies committed to this is growing," says Emily Bayley, the World Economic Forum's project lead for ESG. "We're starting to see companies not just talking and making commitments, but actually putting steps forward into action."  In the episode we also speak to Suz Mac Cormac, a partner at law firm Morrison Foerster, where she co-chairs the ESG, Social Enterprise + Impact Investing and Energy practices. “Stakeholder capitalism is here to stay,” Suz tells us.   We'd love to hear from you. To give us feedback on this episode or share ideas for future episodes, please contact hosts Lindsey Hall (lindsey.hall@spglobal.com) and Esther Whieldon (esther.whieldon@spglobal.com).   Copyright ©2023 by S&P Global   DISCLAIMER    By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties.   S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.

In 2022, the world experienced major climate-related disasters ranging from flooding and hurricanes to drought and extreme heatwaves. Moreover, 2022 was the sixth-warmest year on record, according to scientists at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA.  NOAA just issued its annual report on climate trends in the U.S. for 2022, which includes a review of the major climate-driven weather events that each cost at least $1 billion. NOAA reported 18 separate billion-dollar weather events that collectively cost more than $165 billion — the third-highest tally since 1980 — and resulted in hundreds of deaths.   To learn more about NOAA's findings and the high price of climate-related disasters, in this episode of the ESG Insider podcast we talk with scientists from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, or NCEI. They are Karin Gleason, NCEI's chief of climate monitoring, and Adam Smith, an applied climatologist at NCEI.  "Much of the world operates on a 20th-century infrastructure and economy, but now we're living in a 21st-century climate. And so the inefficiencies of those two realities are becoming more clear as we move into the future," Adam tells us.  "We have our work cut out for us to better mitigate against future damages that we know will continue," he says.  We'd love to hear from you. To give us feedback on this episode or share ideas for future episodes, please contact hosts Lindsey Hall (lindsey.hall@spglobal.com) and Esther Whieldon (esther.whieldon@spglobal.com).    Photo source: Getty Images    Copyright ©2023 by S&P Global    DISCLAIMER     By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties. S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.

In late December 2022, nearly 200 countries at the U.N. biodiversity conference known as COP15 reached a landmark agreement for protecting and restoring nature by 2030. Deforestation was a big topic of conversation at COP15 given the importance of forests for both biodiversity and climate change.   In this episode of ESG Insider, we look at how some asset managers are addressing one of the largest drivers of forest loss, commodity-driven deforestation, which includes the clearing of forests for farming and mining.   We speak with Jan Erik Saugestad, who is the CEO of Storebrand Asset Management, Norway's largest private asset manager. And we talk with Lauren Compere, Managing Director and Head of Stewardship and Engagement at Boston Common Asset Management.   To learn more about COP15, listen to our episode here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/on-the-ground-at-cop15-how-business-is-getting-to-grips-with-biodiversity   Read S&P Global Sustainable1's research, "Biodiversity is still a blind spot for most companies around the world," here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/insights/biodiversity-is-still-a-blind-spot-for-most-companies-around-the-world  We'd love to hear from you. To give us feedback on this episode or share ideas for future episodes, please contact hosts Lindsey Hall (lindsey.hall@spglobal.com) and Esther Whieldon (esther.whieldon@spglobal.com).    Photo source: Getty Images    Copyright ©2023 by S&P Global    DISCLAIMER     By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties.   S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.