User privacy on internet platforms is sliding higher up the “to do” list of the EU’s regulators. Five years after a trailblazing law was passed – the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – we’re starting to see its enforcement moving up a notch. For big tech companies that rely on personalized advertising, like Meta and Alphabet, their future in the EU is starting to look a little more complicated. 

Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG Research
Guests: Yoon Young Chung & Andrew Young, MSCI ESG Research
Producer: Gabriela de la Serna, MSCI ESG Research

Our planet’s hottest days on record were recorded July 3 to July 5. Global average temperatures rose to a new high of 62.9 Fahrenheit. And even as the days get less sweltering, we all seem to be collectively looking around wondering what might happen next month. It is a collective fear that doesn’t seem to have rattled the market. Even so, today we discuss what the ever increasing temperatures mean for the companies you invest in and what cities might be most affected in the coming decades if the world continues to warm.

Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI ESG Research 

Guests: Mathew Lee, MSCI ESG Research

The EU is ironing out the final details of its Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. We look at what it could mean for how companies identify, mitigate and report on their impacts on human rights. It’s a pioneering step that not only stands to affect European companies, but global ones that earn revenue in the EU market.

Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG Research
Guests: Aura Toader & Leslie Swynghedauw, MSCI ESG Research

Part of proxy season is over, so we take a look at the landscape of shareholder proposals. And it is well known for to those who are closely watching shareholder proposals that ESG proposals have pretty much plummeted this year vs. last year and previous years – but why is that? Are ESG shareholder proposals losing steam and momentum? Or is that maybe too simple of a reading of the data? We also discuss the new crop of proposals coming out from a set of contrarian shareholder groups that buck the trend of proposals to date.

Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI ESG Research
Guest: Harlan Tufford, MSCI ESG Research

Semiconductors are used in ev-er-y-thing. But semiconductor manufacturers have a high greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions footprint. Since they are so ubiquitous in our economy, will they get a free pass and not be pressured to lower their GHG emissions? Or will the expanding industry be pushed to lower their emissions a la the oil and gas industry? These questions and more are answered on this week's episode of ESG now.

Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI ESG Research
Guest: Siyu Liu, MSCI ESG Research

Under pressure from wildfires and inflation, State Farm has stopped issuing new homeowner policies in California. We get to the bottom of how physical climate hazards may change the future shape of the insurance industry. And then we ask why the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance is a little different from the other alliances that fall under the GFANZ. 

Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG Research
Guests: Cody Dong & Sylvain Vanston, MSCI ESG Research

There are a number of looming carbon emission regulations set to hit the commercial real estate sector in the coming years. These regulations would require building managers to retrofit their asset’s with emissions reducing technology else face hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of fines. We discuss what these regulations mean for the long-term sustainability of the commercial real-estate sector, and the financial importance of making a building more energy efficient.

Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI ESG Research 

Guests: Mark Bessoudo, MSCI ESG Research

Are you aware of how much progress we are making on addressing climate change? There are all-these-pledges and all-these-plans made by companies, but have those plans been useful? Are they actually making progress on cutting emissions or are they just saying, “yeah we care about it, and we will do….something.” And what are those “somethings?” Are they far away technologies that can suck the bad stuff out of our atmosphere like a sort of techno-savior? Or something else? We answer those questions on this episode of ESG now.

Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI ESG Research 

Guests: Sylvain Vanston and Chris Cote, MSCI ESG Research

NGOs have filed a lawsuit against BNP Paribas, arguing that bank has failed in its “Duty of Care”, under French law. As climate-related litigation escalates, we take a closer look at BNP’s financed emissions. And then, lawmakers have mandated the inclusion of female executives on the management boards of large German companies. We look at how things have shifted at this early stage and what that means for governance.


Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG Research
Guests: Guilherme de Melo Silva & Florian Sommer, MSCI ESG Research

To meet net-zero ambitions, it looks like we’re going to need a whole lot of solar energy, and fast. And a complex value chain is bracing for soaring demand. In this episode, we work through the risks and opportunities for investors and companies (and not only the ones you’re expecting).

Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI ESG Research
Guest: Mathew Lee, MSCI ESG Research