Sustainability Now
- Episodios
- 342
- Se publica
- cada dos semanas
- Último episodio
- 10 Nov 2026
Sobre el podcast
News and investment research brought to you weekly covering major market trends and new research insights. With topics ranging from climate impact on investment portfolios, corporate actions, trending investment topics, and emerging sustainability issues, hosts Mike Disabato and Bentley Kaplan of MSCI ESG Research walk through the latest news and research that is top of mind for the week.
Episodios 342
2027: The Year of the Carbon Market
The carbon markets could be made or broken in 2027. That’s when CORSIA, the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, enters its mandatory phase. The scheme has been running since 2021 …
Notas del episodio
The carbon markets could be made or broken in 2027. That’s when CORSIA, the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, enters its mandatory phase. The scheme has been running since 2021, and its second voluntary phase ends this year. CORSIA requires airlines to offset the growth in their international emissions using several tools, including buying and retiring carbon credits or by using eligible fuels such as sustainable aviation fuel. It’s also a blueprint for multinational cooperation at a time when that seems to be in short supply. In this episode, we discuss why 2027 matters so much for CORSIA, why CORSIA matters so much for carbon markets, and how the airline industry has responded to a landmark climate regulation with real staying power.
Data for the Episode:Related Reading:
- CORSIA: Costs and Implications for the Airline Industry
- Clean Cooking Dominates CORSIA, but Premium Faces Pressure
- MSCI Carbon Markets: International Aviation
Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
Guest: Faris Pleho, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
AI Disruption: The Market’s Verdict
AI will disrupt companies across almost every sector, but not equally. We look at how much of a company’s workforce cost AI could automate, what makes a business model resilient to it, and whether markets have …
Notas del episodio
AI will disrupt companies across almost every sector, but not equally. We look at how much of a company’s workforce cost AI could automate, what makes a business model resilient to it, and whether markets have already priced in the difference.
Host: Gabriela de la Serna, MSCI R&D
Guest: Liz Houston, MSCI R&D
BYO Umbrella: The Trillion-Dollar Adaptation Opportunity
Climate adaptation is already a trillion-dollar market, and it's set to keep growing — but most companies aren't labelling it as one. We map where the real opportunity sits, how to tell durable demand …
Notas del episodio
Climate adaptation is already a trillion-dollar market, and it's set to keep growing — but most companies aren't labelling it as one. We map where the real opportunity sits, how to tell durable demand from a good story, and why backing adaptation doesn't mean giving up on the energy transition.
Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI R&D
Guest: Mathew Lee, MSCI R&D
The Gap Between Climate Shock and Recognition
AT&T filed many weather-related 8-Ks before it finally named hurricanes as a business risk in its annual report. It isn't an outlier: more than 80% of companies acknowledge physical climate risk is …
Notas del episodio
AT&T filed many weather-related 8-Ks before it finally named hurricanes as a business risk in its annual report. It isn't an outlier: more than 80% of companies acknowledge physical climate risk is material, but fewer than a third lay out the details of what that means for their business. With a record-breaking El Niño set to peak in December, host Mike Disabato talks with MSCI's Jasmina Buresch about why it takes a second or third hit before companies disclose anything specific, how to tell a critical facility from an office everyone could just work remotely from, and why investors shouldn't wait for company disclosure to catch up to the underlying exposure.
Episode reading: The Price of Not Knowing
Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
Guest: Jasmina Buresch, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
Riding Shotgun: Mega IPOs and Founder Control
Founders are increasingly keeping outsized voting control when companies like SpaceX go public. In this episode, we explore how this growing trend, known as control skew, has lined up with performance across a …
Notas del episodio
Founders are increasingly keeping outsized voting control when companies like SpaceX go public. In this episode, we explore how this growing trend, known as control skew, has lined up with performance across a decade of major US IPOs.
Host: Gabriela de la Serna, MSCI R&D
Guest: Jonathan Ponder, MSCI R&D
Can AI Really Extract Emissions Data?
An AI agent can pull emissions data in seconds. But can it tell you whether two companies’ numbers actually mean the same thing? We look at the risks hiding behind AI’s speed and precision.Host: Bentley Kaplan …
Notas del episodio
An AI agent can pull emissions data in seconds. But can it tell you whether two companies’ numbers actually mean the same thing? We look at the risks hiding behind AI’s speed and precision.
Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI R&D
Guest: Tanguy Sene, MSCI R&D
Sustainable Finance Summit, Part 4: Rheia Khalaf and Harlan Tufford
This is the episode four of four we did in partnership with Finance Montreal, recording panelists at their Sustainable Finance Summit. And, fittingly, this last one is on AI.In this episode, Rheia Khalaf, who …
Notas del episodio
This is the episode four of four we did in partnership with Finance Montreal, recording panelists at their Sustainable Finance Summit. And, fittingly, this last one is on AI.
In this episode, Rheia Khalaf, who leads financial sector collaborations at Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, discusses what she sees when a large, traditional company - the kind that turns like a tanker - decides to bring AI into its systems. She explains why the gap is rarely the technology itself but the governance that can't keep pace with it, from the concentration risk of leaning on a handful of major providers to the "shadow AI" and confidentiality gaps that open up when everyone is vibe coding. She also weighs the other side of the ledger - drug discovery, better climate prediction - against the real environmental cost of the data centers, and the water, energy and materials, that power it all.
You'll also hear from Harlan Tufford of MSCI Sustainability & Climate, on a new model he and his colleagues are building to assess which industries AI is most likely to disrupt - and support. He explores the tension between efficiency gains and job loss, why a figure like sixty percent of labor being automatable is a hypothetical maximum rather than a forecast, and how a company's economic moat decides whether the benefits of automation flow to the company, its competitors, or its customers. He also gets into what gets priced in first - the chatbots automating knowledge work, or the robots that come after.
Enjoy!!
Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
Guests: Rheia Khalaf, Mila – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute; Harlan Tufford, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
Sustainable Finance Summit, Part 3: Matthew Lawton and Rik Logtenberg
This is the third of four episodes we did in partnership with Finance Montreal, recording panelists at their Sustainable Finance Summit.In this episode, Matthew Lawton, Head of Impact Fixed Income at T. Rowe …
Notas del episodio
This is the third of four episodes we did in partnership with Finance Montreal, recording panelists at their Sustainable Finance Summit.
In this episode, Matthew Lawton, Head of Impact Fixed Income at T. Rowe Price, discusses what makes a blue economy bond credible and impactful, from the alignment of the issuer to the credibility of the proceeds. He explores why emerging markets are leading the global north on blue finance, where the biggest growth is likely to come from - desalination, sustainable shipping and clean drinking water - and how anchoring smaller deals can crowd in capital and scale the market.
You'll also hear from Rik Logtenberg, director of CanAdapt and a city councilmember of Nelson City, on what repeated climate disasters do to a community and why you can't simply build back the same. He also discusses the coordination problem at the heart of adaptation - the workforce, materials, funding and policy that all have to come together at once - and why municipalities carry the responsibility for resilience without the authority to deliver it.
Enjoy!!
Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
Guests: Matthew Lawton, T. Rowe Price; Rik Logtenberg, CanAdapt
Episode Reading
Sustainable Finance Summit Pt. 2: Eric Usher and Brian Kernohan
This is the second of four episodes we did in partnership with Finance Montreal, recording panelists at their Sustainable Finance Summit.In this episode, Eric Usher, head of the UN Environmental Programme …
Notas del episodio
This is the second of four episodes we did in partnership with Finance Montreal, recording panelists at their Sustainable Finance Summit.
In this episode, Eric Usher, head of the UN Environmental Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), discusses why banks and insurers continue to make progress on their climate commitments despite recent headlines. He explores the global pace of the electric-vehicle transition, the business case for sustainable finance and why leading banks can benefit from lower funding costs.
You’ll also hear from Brian Kernohan, chief sustainability officer at Manulife Investment Management, on why social issues, including housing affordability, income inequality and financial inclusion, deserve greater attention alongside carbon and nature. He also discusses the Taskforce on Inequality and Social-related Financial Disclosures (TISFD) and its potential to make social impacts more measurable for investors.
Enjoy!!
Host: Mike Disabato
Guests: Eric Usher, UNEP FI; Brian Kernohan, Manulife IM
Episode Reading:
UN Environmental Programme Finance InitiativeTaskforce on Inequality and Social-related Financial Disclosures | TISFD Global Initiative
Sustainable Finance Summit Pt.1: Sarah Kapnick and John E. Morton
This is the first of four episodes we did in partnership with Finance Montreal, recording panellists at their Sustainable Finance Summit. Today you'll hear from Dr. Sarah Kapnick, the ex-chief scientist of …
Notas del episodio
This is the first of four episodes we did in partnership with Finance Montreal, recording panellists at their Sustainable Finance Summit.
Today you'll hear from Dr. Sarah Kapnick, the ex-chief scientist of NOAA and how global head of climate advisory at JPMorgan, talking about the weirdening of our natural world is impact all our resources - from drought and the Colorado River to the soil health and how fertilizer shocks are hitting your food supply. And John E. Morton Head of Nature Finance and Investment at the World Wildlife Fund discussing why half of global GDP depends on nature becoming as important as climate in the eyes of investors.
Enjoy!
Episode Reading:
Climate Intuition: Food security: The fates of farming and food in a warming world
Climate Intuition: Food security under pressure: Iran conflict disruptions and a brewing El Niño
Integrating nature into financial decision-making
Guests:
Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
Guest: Dr. Sarah Kapnick, JPMorgan & John E. Morton, World Wildlife Fund
Hormuz and the Fertilizer Fault Line
When conflict disrupted gas exports through the Strait of Hormuz earlier this year, attention focused on gas prices and shipping lanes. But the shock travelled further — quietly rippling through fertilizer …
Notas del episodio
When conflict disrupted gas exports through the Strait of Hormuz earlier this year, attention focused on gas prices and shipping lanes. But the shock travelled further — quietly rippling through fertilizer markets, where some producers were hit far harder than others, revealing how location-based risk can emerge deep within a supply chain.
Host: Gabriela de la Serna, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
Guest: Cole Martin, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
BP’s AGM Was Contentious: This Proxy Season Could Be Too
After the SEC stepped back from shareholder proposal oversight, courts stepped in. We take a look at early signals from this year’s proxy season and whether we're seeing a structural shift in shareholder …
Notas del episodio
After the SEC stepped back from shareholder proposal oversight, courts stepped in. We take a look at early signals from this year’s proxy season and whether we're seeing a structural shift in shareholder rights.
Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
Guest: Jonathan Ponder, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
Is This How Oil Ends?
On February 28, the Strait of Hormuz shut down, stranding 20% of the world's crude exports and 20% of global LNG capacity. Energy crises usually send the world running back to coal; but this time, coal …
Notas del episodio
On February 28, the Strait of Hormuz shut down, stranding 20% of the world's crude exports and 20% of global LNG capacity. Energy crises usually send the world running back to coal; but this time, coal generation outside China actually fell, while wind, solar, and batteries picked up the slack. Host Mike Disabato talks with MSCI's Chris Cote about whether a war in the Middle East just accelerated the end of fossil fuels, which industries can pivot now, and why countries burned twice by energy dependence may never go back.
Episode reading: The Opportunity in Energy Disruption — Batteries Included
Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
Guest: Chris Cote, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
Are Investors Missing Biodiversity Risk?
For years, biodiversity risk has been a blind spot for investors — difficult to measure and even harder to link to financial performance. But that’s starting to change. In this episode, we explore how more …
Notas del episodio
For years, biodiversity risk has been a blind spot for investors — difficult to measure and even harder to link to financial performance. But that’s starting to change. In this episode, we explore how more granular, location-based data is helping investors see where companies are truly exposed to nature-related risks.
Host: Gabriela da la Serna, MSCI Research & Development
Guest: Bettina Meyer, MSCI Research & Development
Pricing the Unpredictable
As climate risk accelerates, insurers face a core challenge — pricing a future that no longer resembles the past. While some are adopting forward-looking models, much of the industry still reacts after losses …
Notas del episodio
As climate risk accelerates, insurers face a core challenge — pricing a future that no longer resembles the past. While some are adopting forward-looking models, much of the industry still reacts after losses occur, raising questions about resilience across the financial system.
Guests: David Carlin, D.A. Carlin & Company; Pam Palena, MSCI Research & Development
Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI Research & Development
Transition Risk vs. Temperature Alignment: What Really Drives Fund Outcomes?
Carbon footprints tell you where a fund has been. But do they tell you how it’s positioned for the road ahead?In this episode, we unpack new research from Positioning Portfolios for the Energy Transition (link …
Notas del episodio
Carbon footprints tell you where a fund has been. But do they tell you how it’s positioned for the road ahead?
In this episode, we unpack new research from Positioning Portfolios for the Energy Transition (link to paper) analyzing more than 37,000 funds representing USD 50 trillion in assets. The research finds that funds with stronger energy transition positioning were associated with higher historical returns — and stronger links to decarbonization outcomes.
We explore the distinction between transition pressure (risk exposure) and transition readiness (strategic preparedness), why managing transition risk is different from achieving temperature alignment, and how investors can balance financial performance with climate objectives.
If you think climate analysis begins and ends with carbon intensity, this conversation may change your perspective.
Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
Guest: Kishan Gangadia, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
From Cloud to Kill Chain
Sustainable investors are redrawing their red lines. As defense spending rises, the definition of “controversial weapons” is being reexamined — from nuclear value chains to AI-enabled systems in the kill chain …
Notas del episodio
Sustainable investors are redrawing their red lines. As defense spending rises, the definition of “controversial weapons” is being reexamined — from nuclear value chains to AI-enabled systems in the kill chain. Where those lines fall could reshape portfolios.
Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI Research & Development
Guest: Mike Disabato, MSCI Research & Development
Don’t Build a Stadium There!
The 2026 World Cup is bringing the world to North America this summer. But the stadiums hosting the biggest sporting event on the planet face a problem no amount of ticket revenue can solve: the climate they …
Notas del episodio
The 2026 World Cup is bringing the world to North America this summer. But the stadiums hosting the biggest sporting event on the planet face a problem no amount of ticket revenue can solve: the climate they were built for isn't the climate they're operating in. We look at which venues are most exposed to heat waves, flooding, and even the ground sinking beneath them, why this problem goes beyond the beautiful game, and why the insurance and bond markets haven't caught up to what the data already shows.
Episode Reading: What can physical hazard data tell us about the 2026 World Cup?
Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
Guest: Katie Towey, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
Sustainability: From Narrative to Fundamentals
Laura Nishikawa, Head of Emerging Risks R&D at MSCI sits down with Jenn-Hui Tan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Fidelity International, as part of the MSCI Prospectives Podcast to discuss the next phase of …
Notas del episodio
Laura Nishikawa, Head of Emerging Risks R&D at MSCI sits down with Jenn-Hui Tan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Fidelity International, as part of the MSCI Prospectives Podcast to discuss the next phase of sustainable investing. As the public narrative grows noisier and more politicized, they look past the headlines to the economic fundamentals shaping the transition and portfolio management.
The conversation explores where momentum in the energy transition is really coming from, why markets continue to struggle with physical climate risk and how investors are adapting to weaker policy signals, shifting governance dynamics and greater uncertainty in capital markets.
Cyberattack in Aisle Three
As food retailers work to digitize and enhance their logistics and supply networks, they’re becoming more exposed to cybersecurity risks. In this episode, we discuss how a wave of recent cyberattacks has …
Notas del episodio
As food retailers work to digitize and enhance their logistics and supply networks, they’re becoming more exposed to cybersecurity risks. In this episode, we discuss how a wave of recent cyberattacks has exposed vulnerabilities across the sector — how prepared companies really are, and why investors may want to sit up and take notice.
Host: Gabriela de la Serna, MSCI Research & Development
Guest: Cole Martin, MSCI Research & Development
Carbon Markets Seem Static. Prices Don't.
Flat prices, steady volumes — carbon markets in 2025 might seem uneventful. But dig a little deeper, and a clearer picture emerges: buyers are paying more for quality. We explore how media scrutiny, new rating …
Notas del episodio
Flat prices, steady volumes — carbon markets in 2025 might seem uneventful. But dig a little deeper, and a clearer picture emerges: buyers are paying more for quality. We explore how media scrutiny, new rating systems, and evolving buyer expectations are reshaping how carbon credits are valued.
Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI Research & Development
Guests: Nicholas Baldwin & Utkarsh Akhouri, MSCI Research & Development
How to Manage Human Rights Risks
For years, institutional investors treated human rights as a checkbox exercise, something to monitor after the fact. But a new wave of regulation and stakeholder pressure is forcing a fundamental shift from …
Notas del episodio
For years, institutional investors treated human rights as a checkbox exercise, something to monitor after the fact. But a new wave of regulation and stakeholder pressure is forcing a fundamental shift from passive oversight to active due diligence. In this episode, we explore how forward-thinking investors are moving beyond retroactive screening to implement proactive human rights risk management across their portfolios.
Episode Reading: Human-Rights Risks in Portfolios: From Oversight to Due Diligence
Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
Gust: Aura Dron, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
REPLAY: The Sustainability & Climate Trends to Watch for 2026
When policy and markets move in different directions, the results can be surprising. In this episode, we explore five sustainability and climate trends we'll be watching in 2026. From AI-boosted clean tech …
Notas del episodio
When policy and markets move in different directions, the results can be surprising. In this episode, we explore five sustainability and climate trends we'll be watching in 2026. From AI-boosted clean tech and central banks enforcing climate risk rules, to investors reckoning with physical hazards in private equity and the rise of state ownership in strategic sectors. We unpack how materiality is maturing, policy is pivoting, and capital is flowing into what works.
To register for the 2026 Trends to Watch webinar, click here.
To review all our trend research we have put out to date, click here.
Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
Guest: Liz Houston, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
The Sustainability & Climate Trends to Watch for 2026
When policy and markets move in different directions, the results can be surprising. In this episode, we explore five sustainability and climate trends we'll be watching in 2026. From AI-boosted clean tech …
Notas del episodio
When policy and markets move in different directions, the results can be surprising. In this episode, we explore five sustainability and climate trends we'll be watching in 2026. From AI-boosted clean tech and central banks enforcing climate risk rules, to investors reckoning with physical hazards in private equity and the rise of state ownership in strategic sectors. We unpack how materiality is maturing, policy is pivoting, and capital is flowing into what works.
Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
Guest: Liz Houston, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
Did the EU Fix SFDR
The EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) is a corner stone of the EU’s plan to cut carbon emissions and achieve its climate goals. But it has undergone numerous changes, with the most recently …
Notas del episodio
The EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) is a corner stone of the EU’s plan to cut carbon emissions and achieve its climate goals. But it has undergone numerous changes, with the most recently announced on Nov. 20. Our question was whether these revisions preserved the SFDR’s stated purpose: promoting transparency and ensuring comparability in how sustainable a financial product truly is.
We explored that question and more in this episode, which covers the changes the EU Commission made to the SFDR.
Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI Solutions & Climate
Guest: Simone Ruiz-Vergote, MSCI Solutions & Climate
When Scandals Are Market Signals
Oil spills, labor violations, data breaches. When controversy strikes, should investors pull out, or hold their nerve? We unpack fresh analysis on what happens when portfolios steer clear of scandal-prone firms …
Notas del episodio
Oil spills, labor violations, data breaches. When controversy strikes, should investors pull out, or hold their nerve? We unpack fresh analysis on what happens when portfolios steer clear of scandal-prone firms and the surprising impact on returns.
Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
Guest: Drashti Shah, MSCI Custom Index Solutions
Your Guidebook to a Bumpy Energy Transition
The energy transition is underway, but it’s not a smooth ride. In this episode, we unpack why progress has been so uneven, from surging EV sales to rising coal demand. We explore how tech, cost, and policy are …
Notas del episodio
The energy transition is underway, but it’s not a smooth ride. In this episode, we unpack why progress has been so uneven, from surging EV sales to rising coal demand. We explore how tech, cost, and policy are shaping risks and opportunities for investors.
Host: Gabriela de la Serna, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
Guest: Anthony Chan, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
The Choice Between Data Centers and Carbon Emissions
We are in the era of data centers. They are being built with the speed and intensity of factories during the industrial revolution, and with the same sort of capital attraction. But their high emissions, which …
Notas del episodio
We are in the era of data centers. They are being built with the speed and intensity of factories during the industrial revolution, and with the same sort of capital attraction. But their high emissions, which are under-reported by companies (we will tell you why!), have left both real estate and tech investors with a dilemma: take advantage of the data center boom or have a portfolio with low emissions. We explore this tension in this episode of Sustainability Now.
Helpful Reading: Desire for Data Centers Creates Carbon Dilemma for Property Investors
Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI Sustainability & Climate
Guests: Tom Leahy, MSCI Solutions; Yoon Young Chung, MSCI Sustainability & Climate.
The Next Frontier of Sustainability: Measuring Biodiversity Risk
Carbon, selfishly, has dominated the sustainability conversation for some time. But what about the often-overlooked foundation of our everything in our economy: biodiversity. How can you measure that if its …
Notas del episodio
Carbon, selfishly, has dominated the sustainability conversation for some time. But what about the often-overlooked foundation of our everything in our economy: biodiversity. How can you measure that if its basically everything? We show you how in this episode, exploring how every business, from agriculture to technology, depends on the health of ecosystems, and how investors can now quantify those connections through innovative data-driven tools.
By unpacking the creation of our new Biodiversity Risk Index Screen, the conversation reveals how measuring nature’s complexity can help reduce financial exposure to environmental loss and drive more resilient investment strategies. It’s a deep dive into how markets are beginning to account for the true value of the natural world.
Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI ESG Research
Guest: Laura Coomber, MSCI ESG Research
Before the Storm Hits
Do hurricanes affect the market? Join us as we cover new research that tracks the financial fallout of storms on company equity. Through asset exposure and climate models, we’ll discuss how storm paths connect …
Notas del episodio
Do hurricanes affect the market? Join us as we cover new research that tracks the financial fallout of storms on company equity. Through asset exposure and climate models, we’ll discuss how storm paths connect to stock prices and why investors may want to take notice, before the next hurricane hits.
Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG Research
Guest: Xinxin Wang, MSCI ESG Research
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