ESG Currents

Climate-related disasters have caused $18.5 trillion in damages since 2000, and the risks keep growing. In this episode of ESG Currents, Bloomberg Intelligence’s director of ESG research Eric Kane speaks with Ron Dembo, founder and CEO of Riskthinking.AI, about the radical uncertainty of climate change, how his firm models physical climate risk, how investors can use the data and why the biggest signals might be hiding in the tails.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ryan Gellert, CEO of Patagonia, known for prioritizing the planet over profit, shares insights into the company's unique ownership structure. He discusses the challenges and opportunities of leading a mission-driven company while integrating sustainability into corporate strategy. Gellert elaborates on Patagonia's innovative approaches to balance environmental responsibility and profitability, and reflects on his personal leadership philosophy. The conversation also touches on the importance of transparency and customer engagement in fostering eco-friendly practices.

Debt-for-nature swaps are gaining traction as a way to restructure sovereign debt in exchange for conservation commitments. In this episode of ESG Currents, Bloomberg Intelligence director of ESG research Eric Kane and senior ESG associate Melanie Rua speak with Slav Gatchev, who leads The Nature Conservancy’s Sustainable Debt team, and Jake Harper, senior investment manager for Alternative Debt at Legal & General. Together, they discuss how these deals are structured, the role of new market standards in improving investor confidence and takeaways from landmark transactions in Ecuador and Gabon. Legal & General has invested nearly $500 million across four swaps, while TNC’s work has unlocked over $1 billion for conservation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The climate transition is expected to require significant capital expenditures, with private equity being an important vehicle. In this episode of the ESG Currents podcast, Vikram Raju, head of Private Equity Climate Investing for Morgan Stanley Investment Management, joins Bloomberg Intelligence’s senior ESG analyst Shaheen Contractor. They discuss the financial viability and risks of climate-focused investments, the complexities of measuring impact, investment themes with untapped potential and more.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Natural gas is often referred to as a bridge fuel. Though some see it as a lower-carbon alternative to coal and oil for reliable electricity, others regard it as a methane-loaded detour to a zero-carbon future. In this week’s episode of ESG Currents, Bloomberg Intelligence Senior ESG Analyst Rob Du Boff sits down with Danny Rice, co-founder of Rice Energy and CEO of Net Power, a company that aims to generate cleaner power from natural gas. They discuss the challenges of finding clean, reliable and affordable energy, the importance of complementing renewables with baseload power sources, and the impact of AI on electricity demand.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How can AI help navigate the complex, varied and piecemeal world of ESG regulations? In this episode of the ESG Currents podcast, Irena Vodenska, professor of finance and director of finance programs at Boston University’s Metropolitan College, joins Bloomberg Intelligence’s senior ESG analysts Shaheen Contractor and Rob Du Boff. They discuss a study that uses the power of AI to help dissect sustainability regulations. Learn more about key findings, including most-regulated themes, countries with the highest number of regulations and the superiority of AI vs. keyword-based models. The episode was recorded on June 18.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Exiting or reducing financing for palm oil is something we're absolutely not trying to do. Instead we're trying to support sustainable palm oil, without deforestation and planting on peat or exploitation," says Luanne Sieh, group chief sustainability officer at Malaysia's CIMB Group. On this ESG Currents episode, Sieh and Conrad Tan, Bloomberg Intelligence ESG integration analyst for APAC, explore the bank's efforts guided by science to curb destructive practices and bad actors in the palm industry while supporting its key role in providing jobs, food security and dietary access in the developing world. They also discuss the importance of uplifting smallholders at risk of being cut out of global supply chains. This episode was recorded on May 30, 2025.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

California has long led the US in tackling air emissions, but Congress recently voted to block a key tool employed by the state to accomplish its goals. In this episode of ESG Currents, BI senior ESG analysts Gail Glazerman and Rob Du Boff are joined by Mary Nichols, distinguished counsel for the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at UCLA, who previously served as chair of the California Air Resources Board. They discuss implications of the auto-emissions waiver repeal, ways the state could still push emissions improvements and how companies may respond to the rollback in federal ambitions. This episode was recorded on June 5.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How can we prepare tomorrow’s leaders for today’s climate risks? In this episode of the ESG Currents podcast, the University of Maryland’s Dr. Cliff Rossi, academic director and professor, and Tim Canty, associate professor, join Bloomberg Intelligence’s Andy Stevenson, senior ESG analyst, to discuss their interdisciplinary approach to teaching sustainability. Together they explore how science and finance must be used to understand and mitigate climate risk, from mortgage markets to air quality. They also discuss the rising challenges posed by natural hazards, the consequences of rolling back federal data and modeling tools and the critical role students can play in bridging the communication gap between science, policy and business. The episode was recorded on May 9.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Discussions around climate change have become deeply politicized, but global warming’s impacts have no political affiliation, whether it’s hurricanes in deep red Texas or wildfires in deep blue California. On this episode of ESG Currents, BI senior ESG analyst Rob Du Boff is joined by Bob Inglis, executive director of republicEn.org and former US Congressman from South Carolina’s 4th district. They discuss why Republicans have traditionally shied away from the topic, and free-market solutions to addressing the climate crisis. And for more perspectives on tackling the climate crisis, be sure to register for BI’s virtual conference, COP 29.5.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.