The US government recently published its Fifth National Climate Assessment, warning that climate change poses big risks to the nation's economy, human health, agriculture and food supply chains. This congressionally-mandated interagency analysis is released every four years and is the government’s preeminent report on climate change impacts, risks, and responses.   In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we're talking with four authors behind the report. To understand the impacts of...

In our final ESG Insider episode of 2023, we’re revisiting some of our most popular episodes, top interviews and key sustainability themes from the past year, which pushed the podcast over 1.5 million downloads.   In the episode we hear from guests including:   Val Smith, Chief Sustainability Officer at Citigroup; full interview here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/big-bank-citi-talks-net-zero-goals-scope-3-emissions-climate-disclosure   Sue Lloyd, Vice Chair of the...

The topic of nature played a more prominent role at COP28, the UN’s annual climate change conference, as understanding grows about the links between climate change and biodiversity loss.   In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we dive into the intersection of climate and nature in an interview with Business for Nature CEO Eva Zabey.   Business for Nature is a global coalition working to drive credible business action and policy ambition to achieve a nature-positive economy...

COP28 wrapped up earlier this week, and in today’s episode of the ESG Insider podcast we’re bringing you key takeaways from the UN’s annual climate change conference. We cover highlights from the first-ever global stocktake and the big themes that played out throughout the gathering in Dubai — including overlaps between climate, nature and water; the evolution of climate data, standards and regulation; the role of financial institutions in addressing climate change; and the importance of...

In recent episodes of the ESG Insider podcast, we’ve been on the ground in Dubai covering COP28, the UN’s 2023 climate change conference. As the conference wrapped up Dec. 13 with an agreement on the first global stocktake, we’re covering some of the big themes from the gathering — including how the transport sector is approaching decarbonization challenges.   Passenger vehicles, a key part of the transport sector, contribute a substantial 16% to global greenhouse gas emissions. To learn...

In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we sit down on the sidelines of COP28 in Dubai with the Chief Sustainability Officer of the largest bank in the United Arab Emirates — First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB).   The UAE holds the COP28 presidency, and Shargiil Bashir talks to us about his hopes for the UN’s climate change conference, FAB’s sustainability strategy, and the evolving approach to climate change in the Middle East.    "Nobody will get hurt more than the Middle East if we...

In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we’re on the ground at the UN’s COP28 climate conference in Dubai covering the role the financial sector plays in addressing climate change.   Finance is a cross-cutting theme on the COP28 agenda, and the week kicked off with a day dedicated to the topic. In today’s episode, we sit down on the sidelines of the conference with Dame Susan Rice to talk about what needs to happen to close the climate finance gap.  Dame Susan chairs the Global...

This week we’re bringing you a special series of episodes from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where the ESG Insider podcast is on the ground covering the UN climate change conference known as COP28.   The first few days of this global gathering brought a flurry of announcements, such as hundreds of millions of dollars for a new “loss and damage” fund to assist countries particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and many people are heralding this as an early success for COP28...

Water is a throughline for nearly every subject we cover on the ESG Insider podcast, and it is a key feature of the thematic program at the UN's big climate summit, COP28, which kicked off in Dubai on Nov. 30.  In this episode we focus on how the private sector is approaching water risks and opportunities around the world — and how it can use partnerships to drive progress. We'll also explore the water challenges the Middle East and UAE face and some of the concrete solutions...

The UN’s annual climate change conference known as COP28 kicks off in Dubai Nov. 30. Finance is a big theme on the agenda, and in this episode of the ESG Insider podcast we’re talking to Hong Paterson, the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of the Green Climate Fund (GCF).  GCF is accountable to the UN and is guided by the principles of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); it was established at a previous Conference of the Parties (COP) gathering to...

The 2023 UN Climate Change Conference, also known as COP28, gets underway at the end of November and includes a thematic program focusing on key topics on different days of the event. One of those themes is a day devoted to gender equality, and discussions will focus on topics such as why climate policy should consider gender equality and why women can be disproportionately impacted by climate change. In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we delve into the intersection of gender...

Every year we bring you coverage of the ‘Conference of the Parties,’ or COP, the annual UN summit that convenes world leaders to work together on solutions to tackle climate change. This year’s conference, COP28, takes place in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates starting Nov. 30.   In today’s episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we’re talking about what to expect from the gathering, including what’s at stake and what big themes will be discussed.  We talk to Saugata Saha, President of...

This week on the ESG Insider podcast, we’re talking to one of the world’s largest banks about the landscape for climate disclosure rules and standards.  We sit down with Citigroup Chief Sustainability Officer Val Smith. She talks about how Citi is approaching the energy transition with clients; how investor expectations around climate disclosure are changing; and the challenges of climate data.     As a global bank with roughly $2.4 trillion in assets and operations on the ground in...

Last week, we took the ESG Insider podcast on the road for an in-person event in New York City about the evolving climate disclosure landscape. In this episode, we bring you highlights from our interviews at this ESG Insider Live event:  Emily Pierce, Chief Global Policy Officer at climate software firm Persefoni, discusses the US regulatory outlook. She talks about what to expect from the pending climate disclosure rule from the US Securities and Exchange Commission — including how the...

Today’s episode of the ESG Insider podcast explores several big themes from Climate Week NYC that will inform conversations at COP28, the UN’s climate conference taking place in Dubai later this year.   Our guests talk about closing the climate finance gap; the role of partnerships and collaboration in driving decarbonization; and how credible and just transition plans will incorporate the needs and voices of local communities. In the episode we speak to:  -Julia Thayne, Senior...

In today's episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we're exploring several of the big themes we heard about at Climate Week NYC that will inform conversations at COP28, the UN’s climate conference taking place in Dubai later this year.   We’ll hear how Climate Week was marked by a focus on implementing concrete solutions at speed. We'll explore the challenges around data availability and disclosure. And we'll hear how the physical impacts of climate change are affecting the insurance...

In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we sit down with Dr. Sarah Kapnick, Chief Scientist for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).   NOAA is an agency in the US Department of Commerce focused on science, service and stewardship. Its mission is to understand and predict changes in climate, weather, ocean and coasts; share that knowledge and information; and conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources. Sarah was also a speaker at the event...

In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we sit down with Nikita Singhal on the sidelines of The Nest Climate Campus at Climate Week NYC.   Nikita is Managing Director and Co-Head of Sustainable Investment and ESG at Lazard Asset Management, a global asset manager with more than $200 billion in assets under management. She was also a speaker at the event S&P Global Sustainable1 hosted during Climate Week NYC.   In the interview, Nikita talks about the need to break out of silos...

In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we’re talking to David Atkin, the CEO of Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI).   David shares his takeaways from Climate Week NYC, where he spoke during an event hosted by S&P Global Sustainable1. He also tells us what to expect from the PRI in Person conference taking place in Tokyo Oct. 3-5. And he talks about the role of Asia in the transition to a low-carbon economy, the importance of a just transition, and the collaboration that...

Last week, the ESG Insider podcast was on the ground at Climate Week NYC for a special series of interviews. In this episode, we sit down on the sidelines of The Nest Climate Campus with Christopher Creed, Chief Investment Officer of the US Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office.   Christopher tells us that the loan programs office is working on deploying $350 billion worth of lending authority created under the US Inflation Reduction Act "to help catalyze energy projects" in the...

This week the ESG Insider podcast is on the ground at Climate Week NYC for a special series of interviews from the sidelines of The Nest Climate Campus. In this episode, we sit down with Gayle Schueller, 3M's Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer.   3M is a technology and manufacturing company with more than 60,000 products in its portfolio ranging from office and home supplies to industrial products and solutions related to safety, transportation, electronics and...

This week the ESG Insider podcast is on the ground at Climate Week NYC for a special series of interviews from the sidelines of The Nest Climate Campus. In this episode, we sit down with Amina Razvi, CEO of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC).   SAC is a nonprofit alliance for the consumer goods industry. It launched in 2009 when Walmart and Patagonia brought together peers and competitors from across the sector to develop a standardized approach to measuring sustainability...

This week the ESG Insider podcast is on the ground at Climate Week NYC for a special series of interviews from the sidelines of The Nest Climate Campus. In this episode, we sit down with Matt Helgeson. Matt is Head of Sustainability for Siemens USA, the US arm of the German conglomerate Siemens AG, a technology company focused on industry, infrastructure, transport and healthcare.  Matt talks to us about what he’s hearing from Climate Week NYC so far and the challenges presented by Scope...

In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we’re returning to the topic of gender diversity, exploring what the data shows us about the path to parity in leadership positions.   Most studies paint a discouraging picture, but new research from S&P Global finds that women could reach parity in senior leadership positions in the 2030s, among companies in the Russell 3000 Index. We speak to Daniel J. Sandberg, Head of Quantamental Research at S&P Global Market Intelligence, who...

With Climate Week NYC just over a week away, we’re turning our attention to the global landscape for climate disclosure. Investors and stakeholders around the world have long clamored for more consistent and comparable climate-related disclosures, and in June 2023, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) responded to that call by issuing its first two standards.   In this episode of the ESG Insider, we speak to ISSB Vice Chair Sue Lloyd about what the board hopes to...