Sustainability Now
News and investment research brought to you weekly covering major market trends and new research insights. With topics ranging from climate impact on investment portfolios, corporate actions, trending investment topics, and emerging sustainability issues, hosts Mike Disabato and Bentley Kaplan of MSCI ESG Research walk through the latest news and research that is top of mind for the week.
Episodes
308 episodes
What Sustainability Reporting Really Looks Like in 2025
As a new policy landscape emerges in North America, are companies scaling back on sustainability reporting? And will investors go with the flow? Join us as we look at live trends in company disclosures and where the 2025 proxy season is headed....
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24:08
What Flood Maps Miss
As the physical risks from climate change grow, so does our reliance on accurate maps to assess them. In this episode, we dig into the limitations of publicly available flood maps and explore how data and modeling in the marketplace have evolve...
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20:04
Sustainability and Fundamentals: 12 Years On
Let’s venture beyond the portfolio and into the engine room of company performance. In this episode, we explore how ESG Ratings relate to core business fundamentals like profitability, sales variability, and asset turnover. It’s a new piece of ...
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17:32
Energy in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
On July 4, the United States enacted the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a sweeping tax-and-spending package containing some 35 provisions affecting the energy sector. Here, we highlight the most significant measures and examine how the legislation...
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22:51
Making Food Healthier
Junk food is at the center of the political conversation in America and globally, with discussions about ultra-processed and artificial foods, and the changes we need to make to food, and how hungry we are but none of the food is "good." It is ...
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15:47
From Targets to Tactics: How We’re Scoring the Energy Transition
The energy transition isn’t a straight line. Investors are increasingly look to understand where and how emissions create portfolio risk. In this episode, we explore MSCI’s new energy transition framework and take a closer look at materiality-w...
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20:22
An Update on the Carbon Credit Markets
How is it going with the carbon credit markets? Are they pricing credits accurately? Is the vitally important Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation also known as CORSIA that relies on functioning carbon credit market...
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16:37
A Breakthrough in the Fight Against Superbugs
Could Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche’s late-stage antibiotic trials signal new hope against antibiotic‐resistant pathogens? On this special REPLAY episode (originally aired August 2024), we take a deep dive into the state of antimicrobial r...
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16:25
Adapting to a Hotter Future in Asia
In this episode, we dive deep into the critical role of adaptation finance in helping Asia face the escalating impacts of climate change. As the region experiences rising temperatures and extreme weather events, the demand for resilience-buildi...
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11:40
Aerospace, Defense and Tariff Turbulence
Tariffs and tangled supply chains: This week, we explore how commercial aerospace and defense companies are navigating a new wave of trade restrictions. From Boeing to Lockheed Martin, what do transparency and oversight mean when the stakes — a...
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15:57
The Physical Risks of Reshoring
From car factories to aluminum smelters to textiles, the purported goal of the Trump administration is to 'reshore' American manufacturing. Its a goal, in part, supported by his predecessor, Joe Biden, who enacted the CHIPS act to bring semicon...
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16:04
Borderline Traceable: Tariffs Meet the Transparency Test
Newly imposed U.S. tariffs have triggered market volatility and strategic recalibrations across industries. In this episode, we explore the role of supply chain traceability in managing risk — from regulatory exposure to sustainability trade-of...
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14:53
In Times of Crisis, Sustainability Matters
As I type this, we are in the midst of a market sell off. So, it’s a perfect time to look at what happened to our ESG indexes during the last market sell offs. Worrisome times!Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI ESG ResearchGuest: Xinxin Wa...
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12:30
Can Bombs and Bullets Be Sustainable?
Does the defense industry have an ESG problem? Is there such a thing as an ethical bomb? These are questions emerging as the European Union ramps up investment in its defense sector as part of a broader rearmament effort. In this episode, we ex...
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17:35
It's the Egg-conomy, Stupid
Egg prices in the US have soared, but is avian flu the only culprit? This week, we crack open the structural issues in the egg industry, from supply chain vulnerabilities to price-fixing allegations. Plus, what it all means for investors — and ...
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18:06
EU's Omnibus Proposal: What You Need to Know
In February 2025, the EU Commission proposed the first Omnibus Package of sustainability rules, with the aim of simplifying and reducing EU sustainability reporting requirements. But did it work? Has the outcome been "good" or "bad"? And what a...
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28:22
Are Banks Ready for Climate Risks?
Banks face growing pressure from regulators to assess the risks climate change poses to their loan portfolios. Some regions, like Europe, are tightening standards, while others, like the U.S., remain hesitant. Our latest research reveals that b...
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15:29
Crude Awakenings: The Shifting Energy Landscape
Oil and gas are in, renewables are out — at least, that’s what the headlines say. But what’s really happening in energy markets? We take a closer look at shifting U.S. policies, investor reactions, and how global energy trends might shape the f...
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23:07
How to Make Money and Not Lose Money (Historically)
The quest for higher returns with lower risk is a fundamental principle of successful investing. Study after study shows that investors can use sustainability data to identify more profitable, less risky companies with higher long-term returns....
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13:49
Demystifying Climate Scenarios
What are climate scenarios? Can I do them myself, or do I need a supercomputer and an advanced degree to make them work? They are certainly important in this day and age, especially as once-in-a-lifetime destructive events seem to be becoming t...
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17:32
Where is the Next Fire?
Fires continue to rage in Southern California, destroying homes and businesses and leaving thousands stranded. But Los Angeles and its surrounding areas are unfortunately not unique when it comes to wildfire risk. So where is the next fire like...
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12:50
High Rollers or Higher Risks? Gambling Goes Digital
One of Australia's biggest casinos is in big trouble, plagued by money laundering investigations and a dwindling pool of domestic gamblers. We look at whether the rise of online gambling may make problems like these redundant in future, and wha...
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15:41
The Sustainability and Climate Trends to Watch for 2025
Join us as we cover the sustainability and climate trends that our team thinks will shape the year head. We talk about the energy transition opportunities that are emerging in private markets, rising social risks and the tech giants, falling da...
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18:15
The First Ever (Public) Price Forecast for Airline's Carbon Credits
We put out the world’s first price forecast for Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA)! In it we analyzed the potential demand, supply and prices for credits under CORSIA, and how much the scheme could cost t...
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18:41
What the Market Thinks: A Climate Risk Survey
What do market participants actually think is going to happen to their assets due to climate change? And when do they expect it? And do they think we will ever abandon fossil fuels? Well to answer those questions (and any others!), you need a s...
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17:18