Sustainability Now
Episodes
Pricing the Unpredictable
27 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
As climate risk accelerates, insurers face a core challenge — pricing a future that no longer resembles the past. While some are adopting forward-lo...
Transition Risk vs. Temperature Alignment: What Really Drives Fund Outcomes?
13 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 researc...
From Cloud to Kill Chain
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Sustainable investors are redrawing their red lines. As defense spending rises, the definition of “controversial weapons” is being reexamined — ...
Don’t Build a Stadium There!
20 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 proble...
Sustainability: From Narrative to Fundamentals
13 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Laura Nishikawa, Head of Emerging Risks R&D at MSCI sits down with Jenn-Hui Tan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Fidelity International, as part o...
Cyberattack in Aisle Three
30 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
As food retailers work to digitize and enhance their logistics and supply networks, they’re becoming more exposed to cybersecurity risks. In this ep...
Carbon Markets Seem Static. Prices Don't.
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Flat prices, steady volumes – carbon markets in 2025 might seem uneventful. But dig a little deeper, and a clearer picture emerges: buyers are payin...
How to Manage Human Rights Risks
16 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
For years, institutional investors treated human rights as a checkbox exercise, something to monitor after the fact. But a new wave of regulation and ...
REPLAY: The Sustainability & Climate Trends to Watch for 2026
09 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When policy and markets move in different directions, the results can be surprising. In this episode, we explore five sustainability and climate trend...
The Sustainability & Climate Trends to Watch for 2026
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When policy and markets move in different directions, the results can be surprising. In this episode, we explore five sustainability and climate trend...
Did the EU Fix the SFDR
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation is a corner stone of the EU’s plan to cut its carbon emissions and achieve its climate goals. But i...
When Scandals Are Market Signals
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Oil spills, labor violations, data breaches. When controversy strikes, should investors pull out, or hold their nerve? We unpack fresh analysis on wha...
Your Guidebook to a Bumpy Energy Transition
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
The Choice Between Data Centers and Carbon Emissions
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
The Next Frontier of Sustainability: Measuring Biodiversity Risk
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Carbon, selfishly, has dominated the sustainability conversation for some time. But what about the often-overlooked foundation of our everything in ou...
Before the Storm Hits
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Do hurricanes affect the market? Join us as we cover new research that tracks the financial fallout of storms on company equity. Through asset exposur...
Paying the Price: Climate Costs Outpace Corporate Preparedness
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
When Climate Hazards Collide
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Climate change doesn’t just arrive one disaster at a time. It stacks crises on top of each other: drought followed by flood, heat followed by fire; ...
How Company Ownership Shapes Performance
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Controlled companies now outnumber widely held ones. New MSCI research shows that this market shift has significant implications for shareholder retur...
Sustainability Matters in the Bond Market
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We already know there is a clear link between ESG ratings and the cost of capital. But the question remains: do ESG ratings matter for bonds and their...
What Sustainability Reporting Really Looks Like in 2025
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As a new policy landscape emerges in North America, are companies scaling back on sustainability reporting? And will investors go with the flow? Join ...
What Flood Maps Miss
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Sustainability and Fundamentals: 12 Years On
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 busin...
Energy in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 e...
Making Food Healthier
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Junk food is at the center of the political conversation in America and globally, with discussions about ultra-processed and artificial foods, and the...
From Targets to Tactics: How We’re Scoring the Energy Transition
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The energy transition isn’t a straight line. Investors are increasingly look to understand where and how emissions create portfolio risk. In this ep...
An Update on the Carbon Credit Markets
16 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How is it going with the carbon credit markets? Are they pricing credits accurately? Is the vitally important Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme f...
A Breakthrough in the Fight Against Superbugs
06 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Could Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche’s late-stage antibiotic trials signal new hope against antibiotic‐resistant pathogens? On this special RE...
Adapting to a Hotter Future in Asia
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 regio...
Aerospace, Defense and Tariff Turbulence
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tariffs and tangled supply chains: This week, we explore how commercial aerospace and defense companies are navigating a new wave of trade restriction...
The Physical Risks of Reshoring
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From car factories to aluminum smelters to textiles, the purported goal of the Trump administration is to 'reshore' American manufacturing. ...
Borderline Traceable: Tariffs Meet the Transparency Test
18 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Newly imposed U.S. tariffs have triggered market volatility and strategic recalibrations across industries. In this episode, we explore the role of su...
In Times of Crisis, Sustainability Matters
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Can Bombs and Bullets Be Sustainable?
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 i...
It's the Egg-conomy, Stupid
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 c...
EU's Omnibus Proposal: What You Need to Know
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In February 2025, the EU Commission proposed the first Omnibus Package of sustainability rules, with the aim of simplifying and reducing EU sustainabi...
Are Banks Ready for Climate Risks?
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Banks face growing pressure from regulators to assess the risks climate change poses to their loan portfolios. Some regions, like Europe, are tighteni...
Crude Awakenings: The Shifting Energy Landscape
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 close...
How to Make Money and Not Lose Money (Historically)
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The quest for higher returns with lower risk is a fundamental principle of successful investing. Study after study shows that investors can use sustai...
Demystifying Climate Scenarios
31 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Where is the Next Fire?
24 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Fires continue to rage in Southern California, destroying homes and businesses and leaving thousands stranded. But Los Angeles and its surrounding are...
High Rollers or Higher Risks? Gambling Goes Digital
17 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One of Australia's biggest casinos is in big trouble, plagued by money laundering investigations and a dwindling pool of domestic gamblers. We lo...
The Sustainability and Climate Trends to Watch for 2025
13 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 opportuni...
The First Ever (Public) Price Forecast for Airline's Carbon Credits
06 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We put out the world’s first price forecast for Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA)! In it we analyzed the po...
What the Market Thinks: A Climate Risk Survey
22 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Powering AI: The Nuclear Option
15 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Energy-hungry data centers are the backbone of AI. And as big tech companies look to meet rising demand for AI capabilities, their emissions are ticki...
The World Electric Vehicles May Create
08 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
VW announced it would shut at least three of its German plants, axe tens of thousands of jobs and slash pay by 10%. This is notable because VW is the ...
Finally! A Global Carbon Market!
25 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Well not yet. But on October 11, a UN expert group reached a compromise on key elements of a global carbon trading system. If it passes (we go into th...
A/Cs and Adapting to Climate Change
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Heat waves are getting longer and more intense. And although mitigating climate change will remain a long-term priority, investors will also be thinki...
Does the Environmental Pillar Matter?
11 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today is the last part of a three part series we've done for ESG now: we examine whether investors should care about incorporating environmental ...
So, About That Climate Transition...
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s climate week in The Big Apple! And the perfect time to take a look at different investment approaches to a low-carbon transition. We talk throu...
Asset Risks in a Time of Flood
20 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Flooding is one the costliest of all natural hazards and climate change is raising the stakes. In this episode, we discuss the need for precise asset ...
The 2024 Proxy Season
13 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The 2024 proxy season has come and gone. In recent years, environmental and social proposals were abundant and saw record high support among sharehold...
Investing in the Fight Against Superbugs
30 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Antimicrobial resistance is getting worse. Set to impact healthcare, agriculture and insurance, it’s a phenomenon worth paying attention to. On this...
Net-Zero Tracker 2024
16 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We periodically put out this report called the Net-Zero Tracker, and it examines the progress by the world’s listed companies toward curbing climate...
Does Social Matter?
26 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The social pillar has often been maligned as the ignored sibling of the ESG acronym. In its essence, the social pillar is a measurement of how a compa...
The Cost of Missing Sustainability Targets
19 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s early days for sustainability-linked bonds, where issuers see their interest rates rise after missing sustainability targets. But instead of th...
Does Governance Matter?
15 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Good governance is foundational to effective capital markets, promoting accountability, transparency and sound decision-making aligned with investor i...
Sustainability and the Cost of Capital
05 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Data from over 4,000 issuers, spanning nearly a decade revealed that companies with better MSCI ESG Ratings tended to have a lower cost of capital. It...
How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Nuclear Energy
28 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our demand for electricity is growing for the first time in decades. Nuclear energy is being proffered as the answer to our voracious energy-appetites...
What is Impact Materiality?
21 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What is impact materiality, you ask? And how is it different from financial materiality? A fine and important question, listener! In this episode we t...
Carbon Footprinting Demystified
14 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to climate altering carbon emissions, investors, like asset managers and banks, used to only measure their direct carbon emissions from ...
A Cheat Sheet on Climate Funds
07 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
They may not be new, but climate funds have recently hit their stride. From managing transition risk, to targeting technology opportunities, to aligni...
Stop! In The Name Of Sustainability Funds (i.e., ESMA’s New Guidelines)
24 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Maybe a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but that’s not going to fly for sustainability funds in the EU. On this episode we break down...
Can Airlines Go Green?
17 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Airlines are part of a hard to abate industry for a reason as there is not one straightforward path to decarbonization. In this episode, we discuss th...
Spirits of Change: Alcohol in a Dry World
10 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Alcoholic beverage companies are trying to navigate through a changing world, one where tastes are evolving, and resources are getting scarcer. In thi...
AI is Diagnosing and Texas is Burning
19 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 l...
Pondering Peak Emissions in China
12 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 cl...
Does Your Board Need a Climate Superstar?
05 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Children are still in the Cocoa Field
29 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Unwrapping the Green Claims of Plastic Packaging
22 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Plastic is an inescapable reality of the modern world. But trading off its convenience and versatility for environmental and health impacts is getting...
The SEC Tests out the Climate
15 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 th...
Women on Boards and Beyond!
08 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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-Eli...
ExxonMobil's Legal Parry
23 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The Luxury of Love
16 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Valentines day is replete with marketing by luxury brands attempting to capture the eyes of anxious lovers wanting to do right by their partners durin...
Cyber Catastrophe Bonds... Wait, What?
09 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The stakes on data protection and privacy are only getting higher. Hacks, breaches and data leaks are becoming bugbears of the modern corporate world....
The Audit World on Fire
02 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 wheth...
Going on a Boeing?
26 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One door plug blowout, one emergency landing and zero injuries. For Boeing, quality checks and tailored governance structures aren’t adding up to a ...
Biodiversity 101
19 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Biodiversity is everywhere from food production to pharmaceutical drugs, so the biodiversity crisis puts both society and the global economy at risk. ...
Carbon Credits in 2024
12 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 car...
The Sustainability and Climate Trends to Watch for 2024
15 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 an...
Utilities Lean into Adaptation Bonds
08 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As extreme weather events become more prevalent, the utilities sector is on the front lines. From investing in microgrids to burying transmission line...
On the Ground at COP 28
04 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 worl...
(Bottled) Water, Water Everywhere
10 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 environm...
The Future for Oil and Gas Producers
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
The Retail's Doctor Will See You Now
27 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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....
The Five Stories of ESG: A Recap Episode
20 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 a...
An Homage to Claudia Goldin (Gender Pay Gap)
13 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 unde...
California Dreamin’ About Climate Disclosures
06 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 sudden...
Tilting at Wind Turbines
29 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Despite growing demand for clean energy, price parity with fossil fuels and friendly policies, renewable energy companies are facing some tough headwi...
United Auto Workers of ESG
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The demands made by the United Auto Workers (UAW) to the big three auto companies in the US are varied and touch on every part of ESG. But what may lo...
El Nino Arrives and Debt Thrives
15 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We have likely entered in to an El Nino season as of June 2023. El Nino forms and then eventually dissipates as trade winds that blow to the south of ...
Textile Waste and Travelling Skirts
08 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
With fashion brands now producing 52 “micro seasons” a year, more and more clothing is being unsold or discarded. And recycling clothing is more d...
Is European Sustainable Finance Green?
01 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The EU has set up a number of regulations to define what is and is not environmentally sustainable. Part of those regulations touch investment funds a...
There's AI in My Boardroom
25 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Artificial intelligence is rolling out in a big way across different industries and sectors. With much to lose and much to gain from this new trend, i...
The Fight Between Food and Forests
04 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Commodities like palm oil, beef and cocoa are intertwined with deforestation. The EU wants to change this. We talk about the bloc’s latest law and h...
A Turbulent Plan for Green Aviation
31 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Airlines have been offering customers with the option to purchase carbon credits or to support sustainable aviation fuel as they are buying a plane ti...
Big Tech is Knock Knock Knockin’ on the GDPR’s Door
21 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
User privacy on internet platforms is sliding higher up the “to do” list of the EU’s regulators. Five years after a trailblazing law was passed ...
It’s too Damn Hot for Investors
14 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our planet’s hottest days on record were recorded July 3 to July 5. Global average temperatures rose to a new high of 62.9 Fahrenheit. And even as t...
The EU Wants Companies To Care More About Human Rights
07 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The EU is ironing out the final details of its Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. We look at what it could mean for how companies ident...