ESG Currents

The climate transition is expected to require significant capital expenditures, with private equity being an important vehicle. In this episode of the ESG Currents podcast, Vikram Raju, head of Private Equity Climate Investing for Morgan Stanley Investment Management, joins Bloomberg Intelligence’s senior ESG analyst Shaheen Contractor. They discuss the financial viability and risks of clima...

Natural gas is often referred to as a bridge fuel. Though some see it as a lower-carbon alternative to coal and oil for reliable electricity, others regard it as a methane-loaded detour to a zero-carbon future. In this week’s episode of ESG Currents, Bloomberg Intelligence Senior ESG Analyst Rob Du Boff sits down with Danny Rice, co-founder of Rice Energy and CEO of Net Power, a company that...

How can AI help navigate the complex, varied and piecemeal world of ESG regulations? In this episode of the ESG Currents podcast, Irena Vodenska, professor of finance and director of finance programs at Boston University’s Metropolitan College, joins Bloomberg Intelligence’s senior ESG analysts Shaheen Contractor and Rob Du Boff. They discuss a study that uses the power of AI to help d...

"Exiting or reducing financing for palm oil is something we're absolutely not trying to do. Instead we're trying to support sustainable palm oil, without deforestation and planting on peat or exploitation," says Luanne Sieh, group chief sustainability officer at Malaysia's CIMB Group. On this ESG Currents episode, Sieh and Conrad Tan, Bloomberg Intelligence ESG integration analyst for APAC, explor...

California has long led the US in tackling air emissions, but Congress recently voted to block a key tool employed by the state to accomplish its goals. In this episode of ESG Currents, BI senior ESG analysts Gail Glazerman and Rob Du Boff are joined by Mary Nichols, distinguished counsel for the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at UCLA, who previously served as chair of the...

How can we prepare tomorrow’s leaders for today’s climate risks? In this episode of the ESG Currents podcast, the University of Maryland’s Dr. Cliff Rossi, academic director and professor, and Tim Canty, associate professor, join Bloomberg Intelligence’s Andy Stevenson, senior ESG analyst, to discuss their interdisciplinary approach to teaching sustainability. Together they...

Discussions around climate change have become deeply politicized, but global warming’s impacts have no political affiliation, whether it’s hurricanes in deep red Texas or wildfires in deep blue California. On this episode of ESG Currents, BI senior ESG analyst Rob Du Boff is joined by Bob Inglis, executive director of republicEn.org and former US Congressman from South Carolina’s...

With emissions hitting record highs, carbon dioxide removal is shifting from theoretical climate solution to commercial necessity. In this episode of ESG Currents, Bloomberg Intelligence Director of ESG Research Eric Kane speaks with AirMyne’s co-founder and COO, Mark Cyffka, and its CCO, Jan Huckfeldt, about the startup’s low-cost, scalable approach to direct air capture (DAC). They d...

"Climate risk is financial risk; investors who aren't addressing that risk are at risk themselves," says Rebecca Mikula-Wright, CEO of the Asia Investor Group on Climate Change. Among Asia's biggest institutional investors, a growing number now track or target investments in climate solutions, conduct physical-risk assessments and engage investee companies to reduce portfolio risks, recognizing cl...

"Many UAE banks have seen sustainable finance as a profit center", says Vijay Bains, Group Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of ESG at Emirates NBD. In this episode of ESG Currents, Grace Osborne, BI’s ESG integration analyst for EMEA, speaks with Bains about the rising momentum of sustainable finance in the GCC and its intertwinement with the region's economic diversification plans. Wit...

As climate change accelerates water scarcity, investors are eyeing scalable solutions with environmental integrity. In this episode of ESG Currents, BI’s director of ESG research Eric Kane and senior ESG associate Melanie Rua speak with OceanWell CEO Robert Bergstrom about a subsea desalination product that uses deep-ocean pressure to cut energy use by up to 40% while protecting marine ecosy...

"It’s very important to understand that we need to deliver sustainability, not simply be passionate about it," says Eric Lim, managing director and chief sustainability officer at United Overseas Bank, our first guest from Asia on the ESG Currents podcast. Lim joins Conrad Tan, Bloomberg Intelligence’s ESG integration analyst for Asia-Pacific, to discuss what the ESG backlash means for...

Reducing greenhouse-gas emissions remains the top priority in addressing climate change. However, it’s increasingly clear that these efforts must be complemented by greenhouse-gas removal. The extent needed is difficult to pin down, but a recent report, Scaling Technological Greenhouse Gas Removal: A Global Roadmap to 2050, by the Bezos Earth Fund and the Rocky Mountain Institute is anchored...

In the current political climate, corporate executives must address environmental, social and governance challenges with real authenticity while never losing sight of the strategic needs of their organizations. On this week’s episode of ESG Currents, Bloomberg Intelligence Senior ESG Analyst Rob Du Boff speaks with Amy Brachio, Global Vice Chair of Sustainability at EY and co-chair of the S3...

AI’s role in climate is often framed around increased energy use and emissions, but what if it could help solve the crisis? In this episode of Bloomberg Intelligence’s ESG Currents, we explore how Amazon Web Services is helping foster AI-driven climate-tech companies, including through the Compute for Climate Fellowship. AWS’ Head of Climate Tech Business Development, Startups an...

Sustainable-debt issuance reached $1.63 trillion in 2024, and though regulation has been critical to driving the growth of sustainable-finance markets, it risks being a distraction if it’s too onerous. The key will be focusing on the 20% of metrics that drive 80% of the impact on our investment decisions, says Dr. Arthur Krebbers, managing director and head of Corporate Climate and ESG Capit...

As concerns about water quality and scarcity have gained attention, legal and regulatory developments have particularly targeted the removal of PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, which could prove a $300 billion market opportunity in the US. In this episode of ESG Currents, Bloomberg Intelligence senior analysts Gail Glazerman and Scott Levine speak with Oxyle’s CEO and co-founder Fajer...

President Donald Trump’s executive order to end “illegal” diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government has accelerated the trend of companies rolling back their initiatives to foster more equitable workplaces. On this episode of ESG Currents, David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at NYU, joins senior E...

International Women’s Day on March 8 is a day to celebrate the achievements of women, and consider where progress is still needed. On this episode of ESG Currents, senior ESG analyst Rob Du Boff chats with journalist and Lift Our Voices cofounder Gretchen Carlson about how forced arbitration and nondisclosure agreements are used to silence victims of workplace misconduct, why this is a risk...

With a near constant flow of new executive orders and policy decisions, it’s challenging for investors to keep up with what US President Donald Trump’s administration is doing. In this episode of ESG Currents, Bloomberg Intelligence senior ESG analysts Gail Glazerman, Rob Du Boff and Andrew Stevenson are joined by colleagues Nathan Dean and Andrew Silverman to dissect the most signific...

In an effort to decarbonize, airlines are focusing most of their attention on sustainable aviation fuel, but Heart Aerospace believes the key to decarbonizing regional air travel is through electrification. In this episode of Bloomberg Intelligence’s ESG Currents podcast, Heart Aerospace Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer Anders Forslund joins BI director of ESG research Eric Kane to disc...

Water scarcity is one of the most pressing challenges of our time, with demand for fresh water expected to outpace supply by 40% by 2030, as highlighted in BI ESG’s recent report, Scarcity Rising: How Water Shapes Sectors and Investments. In this episode of Bloomberg Intelligence’s ESG Currents podcast, Ecolab Chief Sustainability Officer Emilio Tenuta joins BI director of ESG research...

Sustainability is for the Birds. And the Dolphins. And the Niners. Even the Browns can go green! On this week’s episode of ESG Currents, BI Senior ESG Analyst Rob Du Boff chats with Roger McClendon, executive director of the Green Sports Alliance, and Norman Vossschulte, vice president of sustainability for the Philadelphia Eagles, about what franchises and venues are doing to implement sust...

From the $50 billion forest-carbon market to 50,000 tons of waste being transformed into textiles, disruptive solutions will likely be key to moving toward a so-called nature positive economy. In this episode of Bloomberg Intelligence’s ESG Currents podcast, Grace Osborne, BI’s ESG integration analyst for EMEA, is joined by Tracy Farrell, CEO of the IUCN-US, and Giulio Bonazzi, CEO of...

Solving the climate crisis is not just a moral imperative, but also an opportunity for investors to earn a competitive return for finding and funding the desperately needed solutions. On this week’s episode of ESG Currents, Bloomberg Intelligence’s Senior ESG Analyst Rob Du Boff talks with famed hedge-fund investor Tom Steyer about his new venture Galvanize Climate Solutions. This epis...