A Sustainable Future

Is ESG investment performance one of luck or skill? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Campbell Harvey, Professor of Finance at the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, why purported claims around ESG performance are perhaps misguided, how the academic world is grappling with statistical evidence, and what makes a systemic risk like climate change so compelling for future research. For mo...

Dr. Raghuram Rajan, Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, discusses how the state, markets and the community have fared through the pandemic, the forces reshaping community, and how we can address inequality. For more information visit www.man.com/maninstitute/responsible-investment This podcast was recorded on...

How can companies become effective forces for good? Former Unilever CEO Paul Polman joins Jason Mitchell on this episode of ‘A Sustainable Future’ podcast to discuss his new foundation Imagine and its mission to help businesses fight inequality and climate change. In this far-reaching conversation, Paul talks through how the multi-stakeholder model is driving a rethink of traditional shareholder-c...

How is the State of Illinois embedding sustainability factors into its investment process? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Rodrigo Garcia, Deputy State Treasurer and Chief Investment Officer for the Illinois State Treasury, how sustainability is driving his allocation and diversification process, what the implications could be for the Department of Labor rule proposals around ESG and why it’...

How is the European Investment Bank (‘EIB’) positioning itself as the EU’s climate bank? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Andrew McDowell, Vice President of the European Investment Bank, why the EU Recovery Plan represents Europe’s Roosevelt New Deal moment and what wider EU sustainable finance legislative efforts are doing to reinforce the EIB’s climate objectives. For more information visit...

How is the pandemic reshaping labour markets and labour rights? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, how trade unions are preparing for a pandemic-induced reallocation shock; what unions are doing to respond to systemic issues through climate action and the Just Transition; and why the erosion in the ITUC Global Righ...

How will the pandemic recast the social contract? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner, why a feminist critique of climate change and COVID-19 is necessary; how the pandemic amplifies inequities in power, privilege and justice; and what needs to be done by government, businesses and stakeholders to ensure a fairer society. For mo...

What are the second- and third-order implications of COVID-19? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Dr. Amesh Adalja, Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, about the tragic irony of US and UK pandemic preparedness, what to make of antiviral and vaccine game changers, centralised versus de-centralised policy responses and why pandemic preparedness could well be...

What constitutes a responsible business, and what trade-offs does it involve? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Alex Edmans, author of Grow the Pie, how the relationship among stakeholders, shareholders and corporate purpose doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game, and why our expectations for companies and their contribution to society needs to be both re-examined and rebased. For more information...

What are the organising principles and ambitions behind the Swedish AP National Pension Funds? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with John Howchin, Secretary General of the Swedish Council on Ethics, how the nature of stewardship through greater investor coordination and collaborative engagements has the power to reshape industry practices. For more information visit www.man.com/maninstitute/respon...

Firms are increasingly setting committing to climate action and circular economy goals. But what that really mean? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Pia Heidenmark Cook, Chief Sustainability Officer of INGKA Group (IKEA), why establishing ambitious climate targets is vital and how they can be reinforced by the power of 100%. For more information visit www.man.com/maninstitute/responsible-inves...

The 2012 UK Stewardship Code broke new ground in establishing investor expectations. The new 2020 Code raises this benchmark by driving stewardship deeper in investment practice and activities. Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with the Financial Reporting Council and investors why the new Code is important and how expectations will only increase. For more information visit https://www.man.com/mani...

What has to happen to drive convergence in the area of sustainable finance and what are politicians ultimately solving for? Listen to Jason Mitchell discuss with Arlene McCarthy OBE about the drivers behind the EU sustainable finance agenda and why expectations and approaches will only get more rigorous going forward. For more information visit www.man.com/maninstitute/responsible-investment This...

More than half the world’s population lives in cities. Cities also represent 78% of global energy consumption and more than 60% of global emissions, which means they are vital for climate action. Lolita Jackson, Special Advisor on Climate Policy and Programs to the NYC Mayor’s Office, talks about how New York City is addressing climate change within its quadrennial plan OneNYC as well as its inter...

Despite the systemic risk it poses, climate change still remains largely outside the scope of traditional financial and asset allocation models. Are incentives like a US carbon price the right answer? And how can markets formally treat climate change as a risk factor? Bob Litterman, co-inventor of the Black-Litterman Model, discusses all this and why climate change is like a flaming trucking barre...

The growing complexity of data and our own cognitive biases often produce gaps in our understanding of the world and in the arc of socio-economic progress. Anna Rosling Rönnlund, co-author of New York Times-bestseller, Factfulness, talks about how these biases impede our ability to develop a fact-based worldview. We also discuss why a factfulness framework for climate change is vital, what buildin...

US climate resilience is a complex mix of inter-agency coordination, national disaster insurance programs, building codes and support for scientific research. Which makes it incredibly vulnerable to the policy agenda of each administration. Learn how US climate policy responses are undermining critical infrastructure and agency support and why the current administration deserves a grade of D- to F...

Spain hasn’t featured prominently within Europe’s sustainable investing movement, having reversed its renewable energy ambitions and focused on an economy recovery post the Great Financial Crisis. But that is neither fair nor accurate. Learn how Spain has emerged as a leader behind the Just Transition and why its finance sector is now more sustainability aware, recognizing that Spain may be one of...

Why are some central banks increasingly focused on the relationship between climate change and the global financial system while others remain disengaged? What are the limits to how central banks can address these issues? Learn why the Bank of England has emerged as one of the leading voices in articulating the financial risks of climate change, and how green securitisation could tap credit market...

No conversation about climate security is complete without considering it in an international context. But how seriously are defence ministries and militaries taking climate security? How are national defence and security strategy reports characterising the implications of climate change? What does the loss of Artic sea ice bode for national and commercial interests? Learn why embedding climate ch...

This episode marks the first of several exploring aspects of climate security. While climate change is a threat multiplier in terms of global security, it represents a risk multiplier from a domestic perspective. But what kind of government response should we expect to the new normal? Learn how the UK Environment Agency is leveraging resilience, green infrastructure and international partnerships...

China’s top-down, state-led governance model requires a delicate balance between the environment and economic growth. But what happens when global growth slows? What does it portend for China’s role in international climate change policy now that the United States has untethered itself from the Paris Agreement? Learn about the political imperative behind climate change and how China is greening it...

The international shipping industry is essential to maintaining global trade flows. But global trade comes at a cost. Shipping may be the least environmentally damaging form of commercial transport, but it still accounts for almost 3% of global carbon emissions. Learn why climate change represents an important factor for the international shipping industry, and why Maersk is leading the industry w...

How can governance be traced across corporate, government and institutional investor perspectives? Why is it critical that the success of a corporate benefit not just its shareholders but also its employees? And how can markets reconcile short-term and long-term pressures? Listen to Lord Ian Livingston, Chairman of Man Group, who draws from his experiences as former CEO of BT Group and UK Minister...

What’s the value of good governance? What’s a company’s commitment to ESG reporting and greater transparency worth? Learn the story behind Japan’s turn to corporate governance reform and how leaders like Dr Ryohei Yanagi are not only advocating for its wider adoption but also helping to define how we measure its success. For more information visit www.man.com/maninstitute/responsible-investment Th...