All Things Sustainable

'Net zero' was a buzzword in the sustainability world in 2021, but big questions remain about what this term really means. In this episode of ESG Insider, we'll hear how the Science Based Targets initiative, or SBTi, is defining net zero in its newly released corporate standard. And to understand the challenges the financial sector faces in defining and achieving net zero targets, we talk to Curti...

In this final episode of our miniseries on emerging technologies that can help companies achieve net zero emissions by mid-century, we're examining two cutting-edge projects for the agricultural, mining and road construction industries.  In this episode of ESG Insider, we explore how scientists in California are using a new technology called enhanced weathering to help the farming and mining indus...

What do Glenfiddich whisky, yoga pants and a trash-burning waste-to-heat plant in Europe have in common? They're all part of efforts to use emerging technologies to tackle climate change.  As companies and countries around the world pursue net zero targets, one big question is: How do you ensure the carbon removal technologies we will need 20 to 30 years down the road are available, affordable and...

Can a global array of CO2-sucking machines save us from the worst ravages of climate change? This episode is the first in an ESG Insider miniseries about new carbon-removal technology. This week we examine a method called Direct Air Capture, or DAC Right now, DAC is expensive and only at the nascent stages of development. But there's growing support from entrepreneurs and some large companies to d...

Protecting biodiversity and adopting nature-based solutions: Both play a critical role in addressing climate change and therefore cannot be ignored. This is a key theme we heard repeated at COP26, the U.N.'s big climate conference that took place in Glasgow over the first two weeks of November. In this episode of ESG Insider, we explore the emerging dialogue on climate change and nature-based cons...

There have been a lot of headlines coming out of COP26, the big United Nations climate conference that took place in Glasgow the first two weeks of November. In this episode of ESG Insider, we bring you inside the event through interviews with COP attendees.  We hear about the mood on the ground: chaotic, but with an overriding sense of optimism that the world can make progress toward the goal of...

The 26th U.N. Climate Change Conference, known as COP26, is well underway in Glasgow. A big theme during the first week of the conference was the financial sector's role in addressing climate change. In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we talk to Samu Slotte, global head of sustainable finance at Danske Bank, Denmark's largest bank by assets. Samu talks about Danske Bank's recent decision...

The 2021 proxy season brought a new level of shareholder support for key ESG-related themes ranging from climate change to diversity disclosures. In this episode of ESG Insider, we talk to Sustainable Investments Institute founding executive director Heidi Welsh. "We've entered a whole new era" of shareholder support for ESG issues, Heidi tells us. "Investors want more information on climate chang...

At COP26 in Glasgow in the first two weeks of November, government officials from around the world will gather to discuss plans for achieving the Paris agreement on climate change.  A key issue on the table is Article 6, which involves international cooperation through carbon markets.    In this episode of ESG Insider, we talk with Kelley Kizzier, who was a lead Article 6 negotiator at  previous  ...

In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we talk to Jessica Alsford, Head of Global Sustainability Research at Morgan Stanley. In the run-up to COP26, the big United Nations climate conference taking place in Glasgow in November 2021, there has been a lot of discussion in the sustainability world about the path to net zero and the role the financial industry will play in reaching the goals of t...

The coronavirus pandemic and a growing awareness of social risks have thrust the 'S' in ESG into sharper focus for many sustainability-minded companies and investors. Issuance of social bonds — debt instruments that raise money for things like affordable housing, health and education — surged nine-fold to $165 billion dollars in 2020 from the previous year, according to data from Environmental Fin...

Over the past year and a half, we've seen companies, investors and regulators put a growing emphasis on the 'S' in ESG. But there is still a common refrain in the ESG world that social issues are nebulous or difficult to measure. In this episode of ESG Insider, we hear how one of the largest financial institutions in the U.S. is tackling the 'S' and making it measurable. "The 'S' does get less foc...

In this special New York Climate Week episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we explore how the built environment – new building construction plus existing offices, apartment blocks, airports and other structures – is responsible for nearly 40% of all global carbon dioxide emissions, and what it will take to decarbonize this vast sector. In the episode, we interview three experts on the subject: Mark...

When we talk about the technologies the world will need to tackle climate change, low-carbon hydrogen is increasingly part of the discussion. Two recent studies raise some big questions about whether some of these hydrogen technologies are as climate-friendly as proponents claim. In this episode of ESG Insider, we look at the research and development of blue hydrogen, which is derived from natural...

There's a massive gap between the amount of investment needed to make the climate transition happen and what is occurring today. In this episode of ESG Insider, we explore the role that green banks can play in plugging that funding gap. Green banks can differ in scope and approach but are generally created to leverage government funds to mobilize private investment in clean and resilient infrastru...

In early August, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved a proposal by Nasdaq to require companies listed on the New York-based exchange to disclose certain board diversity information. In this episode of ESG Insider, we explore what the rule means in practice for companies and investors. We hear from Matt Patsky, the CEO of Trillium Asset Management, about why investors view board di...

A sobering new report from the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change tells corporations and governments in no uncertain terms: Act with urgency to lower emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change at a more rapid pace and bigger scale. In this episode of ESG Insider, we look at the implications of the IPCC report for investors and companies, and we talk to two scientists who he...

Several countries will soon make it mandatory for large companies and asset managers to calculate and publicly report their climate-related risks. It's a complex accounting challenge and many businesses aren't fully prepared. The governments of the U.K., New Zealand, Hong Kong and Switzerland, as well as the G7 group of nations, are among those backing mandatory reporting under the Taskforce on Cl...

If you've been following sustainability headlines over the past few years, chances are you've heard about the EU's green taxonomy — essentially, a dictionary that defines how sustainable a business or sector is. It assesses more than 100 economic activities and is designed to steer companies as they adapt their business strategies to climate change, as well as help investment funds judge sectors b...

Wall Street's top regulator, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, is in the early stages of creating a number of new ESG-related disclosure rules, including on the issue of human capital management.    Human capital management refers to the way that companies manage their workforce. It includes things like a company's approach to hiring, recruitment, pay and benefits, and the working condi...

In mid-July 2021, the heaviest rainfall in a century triggered intense flash floods and inundated several towns in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, causing at least 188 deaths. The floods in Europe are a reminder that although emerging markets are likely to be hit hardest by a temperature rise, richer countries in the northern hemisphere are far from immune from the effects of severe weather....

The EU is working to reform its Non-Financial Reporting Directive, regulation introduced in 2014 requiring large companies to report on environmental and social issues, such as the impact of climate change on their business and the diversity of its board. The proposed new rules, called the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), would expand the reporting requirements and drastically...

The EU has proposed a European Green Bond Standard as part of its strategy to drive investment into sustainable finance and achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The new rules will also aim to protect investors from greenwashing, which is when an investment is made to sound greener than it is. Although they represent a tiny fraction of the overall debt market, green bonds — debt that finances...

The world's biodiversity is in peril and its loss poses big financial risks to businesses and the global economy. More than half of the world's economic output — or about $44 trillion — is moderately or highly dependent on nature, according to the World Economic Forum. Moreover, the collapse of biodiverse ecosystems could hurt global GDP by $2.7 trillion annually by 2030, the World Bank warns in a...

More than 50 years ago, explorer Jacques Cousteau introduced millions of viewers to the marvels of the undersea world. In 2021, the ESG world is increasingly focused on biodiversity, and the oceans are a big part of that picture. Goods and services from the world's oceans and coasts are worth at least $2.5 trillion annually, while the overall value of the ocean as an asset is at least 10 times tha...