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
341 episodes
AI Disruption: The Market’s Verdict
AI will disrupt companies across almost every sector, but not equally. We look at how much of a company’s workforce cost AI could automate, what makes a business model resilient to it, and whether markets have already priced in the difference.<...
BYO Umbrella: The Trillion-Dollar Adaptation Opportunity
Climate adaptation is already a trillion-dollar market, and it's set to keep growing — but most companies aren't labelling it as one. We map where the real opportunity sits, how to tell durable demand from a good story, and why backing adaptati...
The Gap Between Climate Shock and Recognition
AT&T filed many weather-related 8-Ks before it finally named hurricanes as a business risk in its annual report. It isn't an outlier: more than 80% of companies acknowledge physical climate risk is material, but fewer than a third lay ou...
Riding Shotgun: Mega IPOs and Founder Control
Founders are increasingly keeping outsized voting control when companies like SpaceX go public. In this episode, we explore how this growing trend, known as control skew, has lined up with performance across a decade of major US IPOs.
Can AI Really Extract Emissions Data?
An AI agent can pull emissions data in seconds. But can it tell you whether two companies’ numbers actually mean the same thing? We look at the risks hiding behind AI’s speed and precision.Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI R&D
Sustainable Finance Summit, Part 4: Rheia Khalaf and Harlan Tufford
This is the episode four of four we did in partnership with Finance Montreal, recording panelists at their Sustainable Finance Summit. And, fittingly, this last one is on AI.In this episode, Rheia Khalaf, who leads financial sector colla...
Sustainable Finance Summit, Part 3: Matthew Lawton and Rik Logtenberg
This is the third of four episodes we did in partnership with Finance Montreal, recording panelists at their Sustainable Finance Summit.In this episode, Matthew Lawton, Head of Impact Fixed Income at T. Rowe Price, discusses what makes a...
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...