Sustainability Now

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 Initiative
Taskforce on Inequality and Social-related Financial Disclosures | TISFD Global Initiative

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

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

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

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