Sustainability Now

China’s toymakers are staring down rising sea levels. And that’s not just bad news for Santa – a sizable portion of global supply chains are anchored in the manufacturing powerhouses of Guangdong, Shanghai and Fujian.

This week we provide you with a carbon markets 101, and a discussion around companies that use carbon markets and carbon offsets to meet their plans to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon markets, in the broadest sense, turn the power to pollute into a credit that can be bought and sold. They are marketed as one of the major pillars in combating climate change and are an important tool f...

Antibiotic resistance is getting more worrisome. It's possible by 2050, antibiotic resistant super bugs could kill three times as many people could a year as during the worst parts of the COVID-19 pandemic . But there may be hope in the development of novel antibiotics. We discuss how this is related to the development of the COVID-19 vaccine. Then we finally put ESG ratings in their rightful...

Everyone wants to get into mining these days. The extractive industries have seen a flurry of interest as the rush to decarbonize our economies sparks a race to control the metals those low-carbon technologies need to work. We discuss the ESG paradox this creates: on the one hand, mining is a fundamentally challenging sector when it comes to ESG and on the other hand for renewable energy to be a f...

Jack Dorsey, the eccentric and visionary co-founder of Twitter, announced he was stepping down on Monday. Parag Agrawal, the chief technology officer, will replace him as CEO. We discuss what this move means for the governance of Twitter, for Block (previously called Square), and for the tech world in general. It's a good old governance episode!

COP26 dropped an unstoppable wave of headlines. As delegates catch their breath for the hard work that starts in the aftermath, we take a look back at what happened in Glasgow. For one, it looks like big change lies ahead, especially for energy producers. But a recent surge in the prices of coal, oil, and gas may dampen the spirits of climate investors. Should it? Host : Bentley Kaplan; Guests : S...

A USD 1 trillion deal is scheduled to be signed into law by US President Biden on Monday, November 12. The deal, in the White House’s words, is imperative for the US to meet its commitment to reduce U.S. emissions by 50-52% from 2005 levels in 2030, create a 100% carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035, and achieve a net-zero economy by 2050. It allocates funds toward updating the US transporta...

We talk about two of the most consequential agreements made at COP26 this week. The first is the deforestation pledge signed by around 100 world leaders. And the second is an agreement by 46 countries to halt the growth of coal in our energy sector. Each is a step among many toward a more sustainable future, but each, as with many agreements, has its pitfalls.

We talk about two of the most consequential agreements made at COP26 this week. The first is the deforestation pledge signed by around 100 world leaders. And the second is an agreement by 46 countries to halt the growth of coal in our energy sector. Each is a step among many toward a more sustainable future, but each, as with many agreements, has its pitfalls.

Ahead of the UN COP26 summit, many governments have revisited their Nationally Determined Contribution or NDC pledges to reduce national emissions between now and 2030. We developed a map visualizes the change between each government’s revised pledge and its previous commitment, based on estimated further reductions in 2030 greenhouse gas emissions. We decided to talk about that map today. And Her...

Some hedge funds are saying they can net their greenhouse gas emissions exposure by shorting companies, a practice that bets on a company's collapse. We discuss what that strategy could mean for transparency in the ESG marketplace. Then, we look into the efficacy of Facebook's oversight board, a trust set up by the company to act as its judiciary.

As international delegates thrash out new targets to save biodiversity, the food industry could quickly become a pariah. And for Taiwan’s all‐important semiconductor manufacturers, water shortages are raising uncomfortable questions.

This week we answer questions about cryptocurrency in a tolerable manner: What are the key environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks from cryptocurrency exposure? What should investors consider when assessing the ESG practices of cryptocurrency-exposed companies? What are the opportunities for engagement relevant to cryptocurrency?

It is episode 2 of 2 of the climatepalooza series. This week we discuss two huge sectors, banking and technology, with more sway in the carbon reduction of our world than you might think. For banking, we take a broad look at the sector. For technology, we focus on two of the industries behemoths.

It is Climate Week this week in New York city. So, we decided to throw a climatepalooza for you all by examining the climate plans of three companies in the most the most pollutive industries. In this episode, we give you a roadmap for the climate plans that have been coming out this week and tell you what to pay attention to as you sort through a company's emissions reduction plan.

Giving shareholders a vote on a company's climate strategy is trickier than it seems. And while Louisiana reels after hurricane Ida, we look at what investors can learn.

Greenpeace and Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH ) think VW, along with German rivals Daimler and BMW, are not decarbonizing their car fleets fast enough. They think it so much they are taking the companies to court. In response, the auto makers have said they are going as fast as possible and any faster would be impossible. We discuss whether these environmental non ‐profits are making a solid case. And...

China tightened its already stringent rules on gaming this week. Chinese children under the age of 18 can now only play video games for one hour a day and only on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and holidays. We discussed what this means for video game companies and the future of gaming in the region. At the end of the episode, corporate governance guru Ric Marshall joined us to do a fire round on wh...

A low carbon alternative to maritime shipping is coming to the market. The largest shipping company in the world, Maersk, has ordered eight vessels propelled by cleanly made methanol instead of an oil-based fuel. But their shipping costs will increase by 15%. So who is going to pay for that? Then, the German government adopted a new gender diversity quota that will require certain listed companies...

The largest mining company in the world, BHP Group, has made three massive moves this week. First, it said it would sell its oil and gas operations to oil and gas company Woodside Petroleum in exchange for shares that it will distribute to its own investors. Second, it approved a 5.7 billion USD investment to build a very large new potash fertilizer mine in Canada called the Jansen potash project....

The IPCC's newest climate science has signaled a code red for humanity. As the specter of physical climate risk looms large, we look at how railways will need to adapt and how investors can think about the challenge. Then we break down the decision of the South Korean government to grant early parole to Samsung's de facto leader, Lee Jae–yong.

Some companies are mandating their employees be vaccinated if they want to continue working at the company. The idea sort of seems like a mandatory health and safety procedure, albeit one with a bit more controversy surrounding it than others. Still, the companies that have a fully vaccinated workforce may be in a better place come winter than those without. We discuss how vaccine mandates are sim...

In a sweeping overhaul of its private education sector, China issued new regulations that requires the USD 100 billion industry to register as a non‐profit. The move threatened to wipe out billions of dollars of market capital for any publicly listed Chinese education company and ignited a debate around profits, education, and private capital. We discuss what the move means from a local standpoint...

In the world of climate mitigative energy sources, natural gas lives in an uneasy balance. It is viewed by some as a bridge from heavy polluting fossil fuels to lower‐emission sources, while others see it as a much more pollutive source than advertised. This is because of the issue of flaring, venting, and fugitive methane emissions along the natural gas supply chain. We discuss the new regulation...

This week we bring you a special episode of ESG now: The speech Linda‐Eling Lee gave at the International Conference on Climate in Venice, Italy held by the G20 summit. In her speech Linda focused on the dwindling pool of companies that are able to meet the goals set in the Paris climate agreement and what should be done to address that in the future.