Everyone is talking about AI, but on today’s episode we focus on the technology’s potential to disrupt health care. Then, we switch things up to look at how wildfires are exacerbating physical, legal and financial risks for electric utilities in the U.S.  Host: Gabriela de la Serna, MSCI ESG Research Guests: Namita Nair & Mathew Lee, MSCI ESG Research

Coal still makes up a big cut of China’s energy mix. But the country’s growth in renewables is undeniable. As climate targets are laid down and climate change accelerates, figuring out China’s emissions trajectory is tricky. And that’s OK – we love a tricky discussion.  Host: SK Kim, MSCI ESG Research Guests: Cody Dong & Siyao He, MSCI ESG Research

For some investors, having a climate-savvy director on a company’s board may seem like a non-negotiable. But data from some of the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters shows that successful climate governance is complex and may require more than pinning all your hopes on a climate superstar.  Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG Research Guest: Florian Sommer, MSCI ESG Research

This week we provide an update to our March 2022 episode titled Children in the Cocoa Field that explored the growing problem of child labor in cocoa harvesting. And the attempt by Nestlé to use money and enhanced mapping technology to combat its prevalence. It sounds bleak, but it was a great story about how technology is allowing for better transparency in our world's supply chain.  Host: Michael Disabato, MSCI ESG Research Guest: Cole Martin, MSCI ESG Research

Plastic is an inescapable reality of the modern world. But trading off its convenience and versatility for environmental and health impacts is getting harder. Companies that make or rely on plastic are being pushed to improve recyclability and reuse. And as tempting as it is to believe everything you read on a label, it looks like the road to a genuine circular economy is still going to be a little bumpy. Host: Margarita Grabert, MSCI ESG Research Guest: Sam Block, MSCI ESG Research

The SEC’s climate disclosure rule is finally here. It’s been a journey, one akin to a film drama full of plot twists, cliff hangers and edge of the seat moments. So in honor of the drama, this week we do a film review of sorts on this wide reaching regulation - going into the plot, the actors involved, and how the industry is likely to be affected by it.   Host: Michael Disabato, MSCI ESG Research Guest: Zohir Uddin, MSCI Government and Regulatory Affairs; Mathew Lee, MSCI ESG Research

We have been reporting on board’s gender diversity since 2009, and while progress has undoubtedly been made, the road ahead is still long. Linda-Eling Lee from MSCI’s Sustainability Institute tells us why we started compiling this report in the first place, and how it has managed to remain relevant in 2024. Then, our colleague Christina Milhomem tells us what the numbers say- what has or hasn’t changed, which regulations are coming our way- and why investors should think of diversity as an...

ExxonMobil filed a legal complaint against two of its own shareholders, who were hoping to put a climate-related proposal to a vote at the company’s upcoming AGM. We discuss why it’s a decision that could have consequences for the wider shareholder community and the companies they invest in.   Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG Research Guest: Harlan Tufford, MSCI ESG Research

Valentines day is replete with marketing by luxury brands attempting to capture the eyes of anxious lovers wanting to do right by their partners during the holiday. But what can you know about the product you’re buying from a luxury company? Can you know where its raw materials are sourced? Or where that material is produced? And who’re running these luxurious companies? We discuss all this and more on this week’s episode of ESG now. Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI ESG Research Guest: Liz Houston,...

The stakes on data protection and privacy are only getting higher. Hacks, breaches and data leaks are becoming bugbears of the modern corporate world. Insurers offer products for cyber-related incidents, but in a complex, evolving risk landscape, there are a lot of asterisks. We take a look at the current cyber insurance market, and how insurers are de-risking their positions through cyber catastrophe bonds.  Host: Margarita Grabert, MSCI ESG Research Guest: Federico Darakdjian, MSCI ESG...

Audit firms have been under scrutiny lately after scandal and concern have led some to worry the vital industry is in trouble. But to understand whether fears around an auditor are credible, one must understand how to assess auditor quality. In this episode, we teach you how to assess an audit firm, and answer the question that some are posing: is there a crisis in the audit industry? Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI ESG Research Guest: Jon Ponder, MSCI Carbon Markets

One door plug blowout, one emergency landing and zero injuries. For Boeing, quality checks and tailored governance structures aren’t adding up to a great safety record. But looking at the underlying ESG data might shed light on where things might be going wrong.  Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG Research Guests: Mike Disabato & Harlan Tufford, MSCI ESG Research

Biodiversity is everywhere from food production to pharmaceutical drugs, so the biodiversity crisis puts both society and the global economy at risk. And while it is like the climate crisis in its cause, there are complexities and measurement difficulties that make the biodiversity crisis a distinct problem for investors to address compared to the climate crisis. On this episode we sat down with our colleague Arne Klug to understand where this complexity comes from and how can investors go...

The carbon markets have been a provider of hope and despair in the fight against carbon emissions. In 2023, there were concerns around whether the carbon credits being sold actually abated the amount of carbon they claimed to. Yet the market still has promise and changes are being made to the methodologies of carbon credit assessment organizations to address the problems uncovered in 2023. For the first ESG now episode, we sat down with our head of Carbon Markets at MSCI, Guy Turner, to...

We think 2024 is going to be a big year! From extreme heat hitting home and work, to the frothy wonderland of AI bumping against data privacy risks and scarce talent, to the role that private capital is going to play in the climate transition, and so much more.  Join us as we take a sneak peek at next year's sustainability and climate trends. Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG Research Guest: Liz Houston, MSCI ESG Research

As extreme weather events become more prevalent, the utilities sector is on the front lines. From investing in microgrids to burying transmission lines, there are ways to help climate-proof infrastructure. But funding is key, and it looks like the green bond market is a good a place to start.  Host: Margarita Grabert, MSCI ESG Research Guest: Meghna Mehta, MSCI ESG Research Producer: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG Research

We are on the ground at COP 28!! Right now, in the UAE, most of the world’s power brokers are gathered to talk about the climate emergency, the world’s plans for lowering emissions, and everything in between. For this episode, we interviewed our Global Head of Climate Research, Oliver Marchand, who is at COP 28 - meeting folks and having talks. He told us what he has been seeing and how he thinks the talks are proceeding. Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI ESG Research Guest: Oliver Marchand, MSCI...

We’re thirsty, y’all! In a year, we drink 350 billion liters of bottled water, most of it from plastic. But it’s a product with a hefty environmental footprint, and big climate risks.  We take a look at what might lie ahead for companies and investors. Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG Research Guest: Cole Martin, MSCI ESG Research

Some say oil demand is soon to peak. Well, if that is true, why are some oil and gas producers growing their reserves? If there is uncertainty on how oil will perform in the future, how are oil and gas companies positioning themselves amid an ambiguous low-carbon transition? We try to answer these questions on this episode of ESG now. Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI ESG Research Guest: Chris Cote, MSCI ESG Research

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...

This week, we are returning to five stories we have already covered to see what progress has been made (if any!): The Adani Group and its attempt to address a short seller report that questioned the group’s governance that led to a massive loss in market share; the United Auto Workers strikes and the continued struggle in the auto industry; the Inflation Reduction Act and the trillions of dollars of capital is supports; what the EPA’s methane rule has done for the gas industry in the US; and...

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...

With Governor Newsom poised to sign two new climate reporting bills into law, we look at what’s in them, why they matter, and why everyone is suddenly making a fuss about Scope 3 emissions.  Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG Research Guests: Zohir Uddin & David Bokern, MSCI ESG Research

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 Research Guest: Elchin Mammadov, MSCI ESG Research