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ESG has become established as a key business theme as companies and investors seek to navigate the climate crisis, energy transition, social megatrends, mounting regulatory attention and pressure from other stakeholders. The rapidly evolving landscape has become inundated with acronyms, buzz words, and lingo and we aim to break these down with industry experts.
108 Episodes
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Modern portfolio theory tells us that company-specific risks can be reduced through the magic of diversification. But what about market-wide risks, like climate change and income inequality? On this week’s episode of the ESG Currents podcast, BI Senior ESG Analyst Rob Du Boff speaks with Jon Lukomnik, managing partner of Sinclair Capital and a pioneer in corporate governance. They discuss how shareholders can use ESG analysis and corporate engagement to minimize systematic risks that threaten all investments. This episode was recorded on July 31.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Extreme weather is taking toll on farm output worldwide, with record droughts and wildfires driving up prices in markets for cocoa, cattle and coffee. In this episode of ESG Currents, Bloomberg Intelligence senior climate analyst Andrew Stevenson is joined by Dave Farnham, chief data scientist at ClimateAi, to discuss how better data can help minimize climate costs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The IMO's draft net zero framework's implications for new marine fuels and technologies as well as the top challenges for shipowners and fuel producers are explored in the latest ESG Currents episode. Strong demand will develop for hydrogen-derived fuels, with ammonia likely to be the "scalable solution," Tristan Smith, Professor of Energy and Transport at UCL Energy Institute tells Conrad Tan, Bloomberg Intelligence ESG integration analyst. Smith, whose institute is known for its research guiding international shipping decarbonization, also explains why liquid natural gas could be a dead end for the shipping industry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
As government support for climate solutions wanes, attracting private capital becomes even more critical. On this episode of ESG Currents, BI senior analysts Gail Glazerman and Rob Du Boff speak with the Green Impact Exchange’s co-founders Daniel Labovitz (CEO) and Charles Dolan (president) about their new equity-trading platform designed to connect sustainability-minded companies and investors. They discuss the pressure points in impact finance and how products like equitized carbon credits may offer solutions. This episode was recorded on Aug. 31.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Amid the backlash against ESG, it’s essential that investors and other market participants be able to separate the signal from noise. In this episode of ESG Currents, Bloomberg Intelligence’s Director of ESG Research Eric Kane is joined by the entire BI ESG team to discuss the key issues shaping ESG in the second half of 2025. Chris Ratti, Conrad Tan, Gail Glazerman, Andy Stevenson, Yasutake Homma, Margot Wentzel, Rob Du Boff, Grace Osborne, Melanie Rua and Shaheen Contractor share insights on sustainable debt issuance, physical risk, regulatory uncertainty, the resilience of ESG in Japan, new and existing efforts to reduce CO2 via compliance, and much more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Climate-related disasters have caused $18.5 trillion in damages since 2000, and the risks keep growing. In this episode of ESG Currents, Bloomberg Intelligence’s director of ESG research Eric Kane speaks with Ron Dembo, founder and CEO of Riskthinking.AI, about the radical uncertainty of climate change, how his firm models physical climate risk, how investors can use the data and why the biggest signals might be hiding in the tails.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Patagonia is known for putting the planet before profit, including a landmark decision to make Earth “our only shareholder.” Learn more about Patagonia’s unique ownership structure as CEO Ryan Gellert joins Shaheen Contractor, senior ESG analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, on this week’s episode of ESG Currents. They discuss unique challenges and opportunities in leading a mission-driven company, along with Gellert’s personal journey, leadership philosophy and vision for Patagonia’s future.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Debt-for-nature swaps are gaining traction as a way to restructure sovereign debt in exchange for conservation commitments. In this episode of ESG Currents, Bloomberg Intelligence director of ESG research Eric Kane and senior ESG associate Melanie Rua speak with Slav Gatchev, who leads The Nature Conservancy’s Sustainable Debt team, and Jake Harper, senior investment manager for Alternative Debt at Legal & General. Together, they discuss how these deals are structured, the role of new market standards in improving investor confidence and takeaways from landmark transactions in Ecuador and Gabon. Legal & General has invested nearly $500 million across four swaps, while TNC’s work has unlocked over $1 billion for conservation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The climate transition is expected to require significant capital expenditures, with private equity being an important vehicle. In this episode of the ESG Currents podcast, Vikram Raju, head of Private Equity Climate Investing for Morgan Stanley Investment Management, joins Bloomberg Intelligence’s senior ESG analyst Shaheen Contractor. They discuss the financial viability and risks of climate-focused investments, the complexities of measuring impact, investment themes with untapped potential and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Natural gas is often referred to as a bridge fuel. Though some see it as a lower-carbon alternative to coal and oil for reliable electricity, others regard it as a methane-loaded detour to a zero-carbon future. In this week’s episode of ESG Currents, Bloomberg Intelligence Senior ESG Analyst Rob Du Boff sits down with Danny Rice, co-founder of Rice Energy and CEO of Net Power, a company that aims to generate cleaner power from natural gas. They discuss the challenges of finding clean, reliable and affordable energy, the importance of complementing renewables with baseload power sources, and the impact of AI on electricity demand.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How can AI help navigate the complex, varied and piecemeal world of ESG regulations? In this episode of the ESG Currents podcast, Irena Vodenska, professor of finance and director of finance programs at Boston University’s Metropolitan College, joins Bloomberg Intelligence’s senior ESG analysts Shaheen Contractor and Rob Du Boff. They discuss a study that uses the power of AI to help dissect sustainability regulations. Learn more about key findings, including most-regulated themes, countries with the highest number of regulations and the superiority of AI vs. keyword-based models. The episode was recorded on June 18.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"Exiting or reducing financing for palm oil is something we're absolutely not trying to do. Instead we're trying to support sustainable palm oil, without deforestation and planting on peat or exploitation," says Luanne Sieh, group chief sustainability officer at Malaysia's CIMB Group. On this ESG Currents episode, Sieh and Conrad Tan, Bloomberg Intelligence ESG integration analyst for APAC, explore the bank's efforts guided by science to curb destructive practices and bad actors in the palm industry while supporting its key role in providing jobs, food security and dietary access in the developing world. They also discuss the importance of uplifting smallholders at risk of being cut out of global supply chains. This episode was recorded on May 30, 2025.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
California has long led the US in tackling air emissions, but Congress recently voted to block a key tool employed by the state to accomplish its goals. In this episode of ESG Currents, BI senior ESG analysts Gail Glazerman and Rob Du Boff are joined by Mary Nichols, distinguished counsel for the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at UCLA, who previously served as chair of the California Air Resources Board. They discuss implications of the auto-emissions waiver repeal, ways the state could still push emissions improvements and how companies may respond to the rollback in federal ambitions. This episode was recorded on June 5.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How can we prepare tomorrow’s leaders for today’s climate risks? In this episode of the ESG Currents podcast, the University of Maryland’s Dr. Cliff Rossi, academic director and professor, and Tim Canty, associate professor, join Bloomberg Intelligence’s Andy Stevenson, senior ESG analyst, to discuss their interdisciplinary approach to teaching sustainability. Together they explore how science and finance must be used to understand and mitigate climate risk, from mortgage markets to air quality. They also discuss the rising challenges posed by natural hazards, the consequences of rolling back federal data and modeling tools and the critical role students can play in bridging the communication gap between science, policy and business. The episode was recorded on May 9.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Discussions around climate change have become deeply politicized, but global warming’s impacts have no political affiliation, whether it’s hurricanes in deep red Texas or wildfires in deep blue California. On this episode of ESG Currents, BI senior ESG analyst Rob Du Boff is joined by Bob Inglis, executive director of republicEn.org and former US Congressman from South Carolina’s 4th district. They discuss why Republicans have traditionally shied away from the topic, and free-market solutions to addressing the climate crisis. And for more perspectives on tackling the climate crisis, be sure to register for BI’s virtual conference, COP 29.5.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
With emissions hitting record highs, carbon dioxide removal is shifting from theoretical climate solution to commercial necessity. In this episode of ESG Currents, Bloomberg Intelligence Director of ESG Research Eric Kane speaks with AirMyne’s co-founder and COO, Mark Cyffka, and its CCO, Jan Huckfeldt, about the startup’s low-cost, scalable approach to direct air capture (DAC). They discuss why simplicity and heat efficiency are critical to scaling DAC, how waste heat from data centers can fuel removals and what sets the company’s liquid-based system apart from legacy approaches. The trio also unpacks why investors should care now despite high prices and the policy frameworks necessary to unlock the emerging market’s full potential. For more insights, click here to register for BI ESG’s June 4 virtual conference, COP 29.5. This episode was recorded on May 8. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"Climate risk is financial risk; investors who aren't addressing that risk are at risk themselves," says Rebecca Mikula-Wright, CEO of the Asia Investor Group on Climate Change. Among Asia's biggest institutional investors, a growing number now track or target investments in climate solutions, conduct physical-risk assessments and engage investee companies to reduce portfolio risks, recognizing climate change as a major risk to long-term returns. Mikula-Wright discusses these issues with Conrad Tan, Bloomberg Intelligence ESG integration analyst for APAC, in this edition of ESG Currents. They also examine newer areas of focus including how investors are working to integrate nature and social risk into their capital allocation and engagement strategies.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"Many UAE banks have seen sustainable finance as a profit center", says Vijay Bains, Group Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of ESG at Emirates NBD. In this episode of ESG Currents, Grace Osborne, BI’s ESG integration analyst for EMEA, speaks with Bains about the rising momentum of sustainable finance in the GCC and its intertwinement with the region's economic diversification plans. With UAE's national banks' pledging to mobilize AED 1 trillion in sustainable finance by 2030, alongside strengthened Nationally Determined Contributions, opportunities for capturing sustainable value creation are mounting. From water scarcity solutions to green building initiatives, the GCC is scaling its sustainability ambitions at a time where other regions in the world appear to be stepping back. This episode was recorded on May 1, 2025.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
As climate change accelerates water scarcity, investors are eyeing scalable solutions with environmental integrity. In this episode of ESG Currents, BI’s director of ESG research Eric Kane and senior ESG associate Melanie Rua speak with OceanWell CEO Robert Bergstrom about a subsea desalination product that uses deep-ocean pressure to cut energy use by up to 40% while protecting marine ecosystems. Bergstrom outlines OceanWell’s phased road map, including pilots and global scaling, and makes the investment case for water infrastructure, citing research showing a $7 return for every $1 invested. The episode explores why valuing water appropriately is key to driving innovation, policy and climate resilience. Recorded April 23.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"It’s very important to understand that we need to deliver sustainability, not simply be passionate about it," says Eric Lim, managing director and chief sustainability officer at United Overseas Bank, our first guest from Asia on the ESG Currents podcast. Lim joins Conrad Tan, Bloomberg Intelligence’s ESG integration analyst for Asia-Pacific, to discuss what the ESG backlash means for companies' sustainability efforts, the role of banks in driving sustainable practices in different industries, and the nature-climate nexus and business dependencies on natural capital. They also talk about the importance of aligning with ecosystem partners to enhance impact in a region spanning myriad political structures and development priorities. This episode was recorded on April 2, 2025.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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