Sustainability Currents

 "Carbon markets are a critical tool for decarbonization, and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) provides a great case study. By 2030, the market is poised to eliminate 66% of CO2 emissions from utilities in Northeastern states, while already generating roughly $4.2 billion for participating states to invest in decarbonization. On this episode of the ESG Currents podcast Andrew McKeon, Executive Director of RGGI, joins Bloomberg Intelligence's Director of ESG Research Eric Kane to discuss how the market is structured, why it's successful, and how it might expand in the future. This was recorded on Oct. 17. 

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Given the wide swath of ESG and sustainability topics, breaking into the industry and navigating a career in the field and finding a niche often leaves people with many unanswered questions. On this episode of the ESG Currents podcast, Nikita Singhal, co-head of sustainable investment & ESG at Lazard Asset Management, joins Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Shaheen Contractor to discuss key required skills, gaps and how one can navigate a career in ESG at different stages — breaking into the industry, midcareer transitions and seasoned professionals expanding skillsets. 

This was recorded on Oct. 24.

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Corporate America has increasingly leaned in on ESG issues, but not everyone thinks business should get involved, including several prominent presidential candidates and our guest this week, Scott Shepard, director of the National Center for Public Policy Research’s Free Enterprise Project, which bills itself as the “original and premier opponent of the woke takeover of America.” Shepard joins BI analyst Rob Du Boff on this ESG Currents podcast episode to discuss his concerns over ESG, the risk of political bias at the SEC, and how he's is taking his fight to other shareholders. This episode was recorded on Aug. 16. 

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A portfolio manager of an ESG and sustainable fund is an increasingly complex job, given the wide swath of data and themes. On this episode of the ESG Currents podcast, Bruce Kahn joins Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Shaheen Contractor to discuss how he uses ESG data and metrics to analyze company performance and drive selection in his portfolio. The conversation focuses on the metrics that impact company value and the challenges in ESG analysis. This was recorded on Sept. 28. 

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Many companies approach ESG as a box-checking exercise, but Tensie Whelan, director of NYU’s Center for Sustainable Business believes managements that do this could be missing out. Her work has found that companies that fail to track returns on their sustainable investments can make poor decisions and allocate capital suboptimally. On this episode of the ESG Currents podcast, Whelan joins Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Gail Glazerman and Rob Du Boff to discuss Return on Sustainable Investment (ROSI), a tool she developed to help quantify these contributions. 

This was recorded as of Oct. 2.

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ESG regulation remains divisive in the US, yet other regions have gone full steam ahead in setting the rules of the road for sustainable finance. Chief among them is the EU, which has rolled out a broad set of new and enhanced regulations for companies and investors. Nathan Fabian, chief sustainable systems officer at the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment and former chair of the European Platform for Sustainable Finance, and Nadia Humphreys, manager of Bloomberg’s Global Regulatory and Climate solutions team join Bloomberg Intelligence senior ESG analyst Rob Du Boff on this ESG Currents podcast episode to discuss the need for standardization for market participants and the challenges in implementing this ambitious but much-needed agenda.

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Sean Kidney, cofounder and CEO of Climate Bonds Initiative joins Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Christopher Ratti on this episode of the ESG Currents podcast to talk about Green Financing. Kidney discusses how CBI was formed and the impacts it’s had on green financing along with recent trends, policy initiatives and market developments.

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Washington, DC has become an interesting place for investors between the climate incentives of the Inflation Reduction Act, the SEC’s disclosure rules and a growing pushback from House Republicans. Representative Sean Casten, co-chair of the Congressional Sustainable Investment Caucus, joins Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Rob Du Boff and Nathan Dean on this episode of the ESG Currents podcast to discuss how the government might address the climate crisis and ESG in the capital markets. The failure of “ESG Month” in Congress and “Hot FERC Summer” are also explained.
This episode was recorded on Sept. 7.

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“Over the past 18 months to two years, we have probably seen the largest transformation globally in terms of expectations on [ESG] disclosures,” EY’s Climate Change and Sustainability Services leader Matthew Bell says. On this episode of the ESG Currents podcast, Bell joins Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Eric Kane and Gail Glazerman to discuss the evolution and how companies and investors can leverage this information.

This episode was recorded on Aug. 30.

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National security begins with food and water security. Erin Sikorsky, Director of the Center for Climate & Security, joins BI analysts Eric Kane and Andy Stevenson to explain how climate is changing how the US military looks at national security and their role in aiding disaster recovery efforts. Sikorsky also discusses how climate change is shaping the role of the military in China, Pakistan, and elsewhere.

This episode was recorded on August 30th.

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