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
334 episodes
Sustainable Finance Summit Pt. 2 – Eric Usher and Brian Kernohan
This is the second of four episodes we did in partnership with Finance Montreal, recording panelists at their Sustainable Finance Summit.In this episode, Eric Usher, head of the UN Environmental Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), di...
Sustainable Finance Summit Pt.1 – Sarah Kapnick and John E. Morton
This is the first of four episodes we did in partnership with Finance Montreal, recording panellists at their Sustainable Finance Summit. Today you'll hear from Dr. Sarah Kapnick, the ex-chief scientist of NOAA and how global head o...
Hormuz and the Fertilizer Fault Line
When conflict disrupted gas exports through the Strait of Hormuz earlier this year, attention focused on gas prices and shipping lanes. But the shock travelled further — quietly rippling through fertilizer markets, where some producers were hit...
BP’s AGM Was Contentious: This Proxy Season Could Be Too
After the SEC stepped back from shareholder proposal oversight, courts stepped in. We take a look at early signals from this year’s proxy season and whether we're seeing a structural shift in shareholder rights.Host: Bentley K...
Is This How Oil Ends?
On February 28, the Strait of Hormuz shut down, stranding 20% of the world's crude exports and 20% of global LNG capacity. Energy crises usually send the world running back to coal; but this time, coal generation outside China actually fe...
Are Investors Missing Biodiversity Risk?
For years, biodiversity risk has been a blind spot for investors — difficult to measure and even harder to link to financial performance. But that’s starting to change. In this episode, we explore how more granular, location-based data is helpi...
Pricing the Unpredictable
As climate risk accelerates, insurers face a core challenge — pricing a future that no longer resembles the past. While some are adopting forward-looking models, much of the industry still reacts after losses occur, raising questions about resi...
Transition Risk vs. Temperature Alignment: What Really Drives Fund Outcomes?
Carbon footprints tell you where a fund has been. But do they tell you how it’s positioned for the road ahead?In this episode, we unpack new research from
From Cloud to Kill Chain
Sustainable investors are redrawing their red lines. As defense spending rises, the definition of “controversial weapons” is being reexamined — from nuclear value chains to AI-enabled systems in the kill chain. Where those lines fall could resh...
Don’t Build a Stadium There!
The 2026 World Cup is bringing the world to North America this summer. But the stadiums hosting the biggest sporting event on the planet face a problem no amount of ticket revenue can solve: the climate they were built for isn't the climate the...
Sustainability: From Narrative to Fundamentals
Laura Nishikawa, Head of Emerging Risks R&D at MSCI sits down with Jenn-Hui Tan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Fidelity International, as part of the MSCI Prospectives Podcast to discuss the next phase of sustainable investing. As the pub...
Cyberattack in Aisle Three
As food retailers work to digitize and enhance their logistics and supply networks, they’re becoming more exposed to cybersecurity risks. In this episode, we discuss how a wave of recent cyberattacks has exposed vulnerabilities across the secto...
Carbon Markets Seem Static. Prices Don't.
Flat prices, steady volumes — carbon markets in 2025 might seem uneventful. But dig a little deeper, and a clearer picture emerges: buyers are paying more for quality. We explore how media scrutiny, new rating systems, and evolving buyer expect...
How to Manage Human Rights Risks
For years, institutional investors treated human rights as a checkbox exercise, something to monitor after the fact. But a new wave of regulation and stakeholder pressure is forcing a fundamental shift from passive oversight to active due dilig...
REPLAY: The Sustainability & Climate Trends to Watch for 2026
When policy and markets move in different directions, the results can be surprising. In this episode, we explore five sustainability and climate trends we'll be watching in 2026. From AI-boosted clean tech and central banks enforcing climate ri...
The Sustainability & Climate Trends to Watch for 2026
When policy and markets move in different directions, the results can be surprising. In this episode, we explore five sustainability and climate trends we'll be watching in 2026. From AI-boosted clean tech and central banks enforcing climate ri...
Did the EU Fix SFDR
The EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) is a corner stone of the EU’s plan to cut carbon emissions and achieve its climate goals. But it has undergone numerous changes, with the most recently announced on Nov. 20. Our question w...
When Scandals Are Market Signals
Oil spills, labor violations, data breaches. When controversy strikes, should investors pull out, or hold their nerve? We unpack fresh analysis on what happens when portfolios steer clear of scandal-prone firms and the surprising impact on retu...
Your Guidebook to a Bumpy Energy Transition
The energy transition is underway, but it’s not a smooth ride. In this episode, we unpack why progress has been so uneven, from surging EV sales to rising coal demand. We explore how tech, cost, and policy are shaping risks and opportunities fo...
The Choice Between Data Centers and Carbon Emissions
We are in the era of data centers. They are being built with the speed and intensity of factories during the industrial revolution, and with the same sort of capital attraction. But their high emissions, which are under-reported by companies (w...
The Next Frontier of Sustainability: Measuring Biodiversity Risk
Carbon, selfishly, has dominated the sustainability conversation for some time. But what about the often-overlooked foundation of our everything in our economy: biodiversity. How can you measure that if its basically everything? We show you how...
Before the Storm Hits
Do hurricanes affect the market? Join us as we cover new research that tracks the financial fallout of storms on company equity. Through asset exposure and climate models, we’ll discuss how storm paths connect to stock prices and why investors ...
Paying the Price: Climate Costs Outpace Corporate Preparedness
As the planet continues to warm, physical climate risk is no longer an abstract future concern. It is financially material today. The question now is where those risks will materialize and how are companies prepared for those risks. We can help...