Sustainability Now

A ruling by a US judge has put the entire oil and gas pipeline industry at risk in the US, and a lot of it is because companies have terrible community relations. And then, we discuss the price tag on Remdesivir, the first drug shown to be effective against the coronavirus ‐ and how drug prices affect company incentives.

There are three types of emissions ‐ scope 1, 2, and 3; and while scope 3 are the hardest to measure, they can teach investors the most about a company's carbon footprint and climate change; and then we discuss some of the unexpected joiners to the Stop The Hate Campaign against Facebook.

This Thursday, one of the hottest companies in Europe, Wirecard, filed for insolvency as its former CEO was arrested on suspicion of false accounting and market manipulation. It is one of the largest cases of possible fraud at a single company since Enron. But how could such a thing happen at a company with not one, but two oversight boards? And what does this mean for how we assess companies goin...

The spilling of 21,000 tons of diesel in Siberia in late May, 2020 echoes the Exxon Valdez disaster from more than 30 years ago. But the case of Norilsk Nickel also highlights how today's responsible investors find themselves in a new landscape as climate change accelerates, with better data but more vexing conundrums.

This episode explores the complexity of collecting and using companies' racial diversity data, and then we discuss how at risk construction companies are as economies start to open and COVID‐19 continues to spread.

When a company hands over the reins to an external manager, it shifts the dynamic between shareholder, board and management. And although that may offer potential benefits, there is plenty to draw the attention of a wily governance analyst or a wary investor.

This episode begins with our head of ESG research, Linda‐Eling Lee discussing the global protests surging across the US and the world; then we discuss the decision by Facebook management to not affix warnings to US President Trump's tweets after its industry peer, Twitter, decides to do so; and then we talk about one utility company that is successfully transitioning to a carbon neutral futur...

Climate change has increased the frequency and severity of flooding, exposing companies with operations that abut or lay within the US Federal Emergency Management Area designated flood zones to possible damage. The breaching of two dams in Central Michigan this month resulted in historic flooding that mixed with Dow's chemical containment ponds and may have stirred up toxic sediment at a dow...

There are some promising COVID‐19 vaccines in early human trails, but we have some questions if they are successful: Who will own the patent? Who will distribute them? Who will be responsible if something goes wrong? And then we discuss the recent proxy battle at JPMorgan that ended with some interesting wins for climate activists.

Have COVID, will travel: As regions begin to tentatively reopen, airport employees find themselves on the frontline of possibly sick passengers, we discuss how the type of airport and what plans were in place before the pandemic are affecting airport security; then we discuss the ESG merits of biofuel in light of the industry's recent bailout request; finally, we look at how the EU Taxonomy w...

With COVID‐19 hitting the pause button on the global economy, many are wondering if this is the start of the end for the oil and gas industry. We break down the basics, look at the different ways companies are planning for the future and discuss how investors can make sense of the risks involved.

Like a cleaver and a scalpel, COVID‐19 is slicing through pre‐existing ESG vulnerabilities in the meat‐packing and medical tourism industries. Palm oil certifications make for sober reading as the New York Declaration on Forests nears its first milestone and India's strict lockdown is inspiring innovations both big and small.

At MSCI ESG Research, we spend a lot of time collecting information about workplace safety, but as economies start to reopen, we might need to pay attention to how close everyone is to each other while working. And then we discuss why the safety upgrades in green buildings might be the safest option for people during the COVID‐19 pandemic; then we continue our series where we ask our colleagues ar...

In the last recession, Banks were the villains but now they are the conduit through which governments are providing credit lifelines, we discussed who will survive. Then we discussed the decision by the German government to allow Bayer to call a virtual Annual General Meeting aka the annual shareholder gathering, which might mean an erosion of shareholder rights. And lastly we heard how the Govern...

Skeptics and converts alike are watching how ESG performs under the pressure of COVID‐19. We review the evolution of ESG data in index construction and possible ways to assess its performance through a pandemic.

The first COVID‐19 deaths were recorded in a privately run prison this week, we discuss what this means for the future of the industry and what it means for investors in companies with essential but precarious workforces; then we begin our new series on how investors will be affected by different regions' response to COVID; afterward Linda‐Eling Lee, our head of ESG Research, joins us to disc...

During a global pandemic, carbon emissions decrease along with the economy and everything else, we discuss if it is a sustained decline or a respite; then we have a short take on what drugs are being pushed forward to fight COVID‐19 and what happens when drugs are used for purposes different than the drug marker's original intention.

In this long‐form episode of ESG Now, we looked at sustainable real estate ‐ how the greening of the property portfolio will move from a nice‐to‐have reputation‐booster to an imperative in the face of a looming "brown discount" if real estate investors don't kick start their journey to zero carbon.

Companies are making drastic moves in an effort to survive as the economy comes to a grinding halt ‐ the market gets new rules, people get laid off, people get put at risk for a job, and alcohol companies save the day. We answer how you can use ESG to understand these complicated times.

Private companies are issuing coronavirus bonds in China in hopes to use the proceeds to fight the spread of the virus. But wait, it's only 10% of the bond's proceeds? And what is a coronavirus bond anyway? Then we discuss what happens when a director on a company board becomes incapacitated and why that is now a serious problem for many companies because of the spread of COVID.

Airlines grit their teeth for now, but when the fog clears, labor practices may help some rise up faster than others. And for food retail and restaurant companies, adaptability is the name of the game as customers hunker down.

What the novel coronavirus 2019 can tell us about workforces around the world and the risks unheeded by some companies. And then we discuss how the price wars are different than ever before. This week, we talk to the experts about catastrophe and future risks.

The market is freaking out about the coronavirus because it is everywhere but Antarctica, and now everyday medicine is becoming scarce because of supply chain disruptions. But what is a drug supply chain? And why do patients and investors need to worry about vitamin and antibiotic shortages due to disruptions in India and China? We talk to the experts about supply chains and disasters.

The Camp Fire of 2018 was one of the worst wildfires in California's history. After it was found to be caused through negligence on the part of utility giant Pacific Gas and Electric, the victims sued the company and won compensation. But then PG&E did something off and made the victims part owners of the beleaguered company. We ask : Does this help the victims, the company, or the market...

BP announced it would work toward a carbon‐neutral future, but that would mean it has to grown its revenue from renewables at speeds seen only by alphabet, which is difficult because renewables aren't the same money makers as fossil fuels, so oil and gas might have to start moving into new businesses; And Japan announces it will build 22 new coal plants in the next five years which is odd bec...