ESG Insider: A podcast from S&P Global

In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we explore how companies are moving from setting sustainability targets to figuring out how to reach those goals. A common refrain we heard at the annual GreenBiz conference in Phoenix, Arizona last week was: "What will it take?"

For example, what will it take for companies to achieve net-zero goals and decarbonize supply chains — including those involved in transporting materials and products?

We explore supply chain decarbonization with guests from several sectors. To understand the decarbonization challenges the freight and maritime shipping industry faces, we sit down with Sarah Mouriño, Senior Director of Sustainability for the Americas at DP World, one of the world's largest port operators. Sarah, who has more than two decades experience in the industry, tells us decarbonization is the "number one thing on every sustainability agenda for every major company” with a freight or maritime operation.

Other guests in this episode include:

Robyn Luhning, Chief Sustainability Officer at big bank Wells Fargo

-Abby Davidson, Managing Director at consulting company Engie Impact

Brenden McEneaney, Senior Vice President at real estate firm JLL

Annabelle Stamm, Senior Director of Sustainability Strategy at Edison Energy, which helps its clients navigate energy management

Debbie Lizt, Head of Global Sustainability at software company Intuit

Kevin Rabinovitch, Global Vice President of Sustainability and Chief Climate Officer at food company Mars

Listen to our full interview with Intuit’s Debbie Lizt exploring Intuit's approach to supplier engagement, AI and the just transition: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/exploring-intuit-s-approach-to-supplier-engagement-ai-and-just-transition

Listen to our full interview with Mars’ Kevin Rabinovitch discussing how Mars is rethinking supply chains: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/how-one-of-world-s-largest-food-companies-is-rethinking-supply-chains

Listen to our interview on the sidelines of Davos on the topic of how AI becamse the buzzword at the World Econmic Forum's 2024 gathering: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/how-ai-became-the-buzzword-at-davos

The GreenBiz conference is hosted by GreenBiz Group and S&P Global Sustainable1 is a sponsor.

Read more about supply chains in the S&P Global Supply Chain 2024 Look Forward report: https://www.spglobal.com/en/research-insights/featured/special-editorial/look-forward/look-forward-volume-2-2024

Learn about TPM, a conference S&P Global organizes for the trans-Pacific and global container shipping and logistics community: https://events.joc.com/tpm/about/index.html

This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1, a part of S&P Global.

Copyright ©2024 by S&P Global

DISCLAIMER

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms...

In our final ESG Insider episode of 2023, we’re revisiting some of our most popular episodes, top interviews and key sustainability themes from the past year, which pushed the podcast over 1.5 million downloads.

In the episode we hear from guests including:

• Val Smith, Chief Sustainability Officer at Citigroup; full interview here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/big-bank-citi-talks-net-zero-goals-scope-3-emissions-climate-disclosure
• Sue Lloyd, Vice Chair of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB); full interview here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/talking-international-sustainability-standards-with-issb-s-sue-lloyd
• Tony Goldner, Executive Director of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD); full interview here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/tnfd-executive-director-talks-new-nature-disclosure-framework
• Martin Lok, Executive Director of the nonprofit Capitals Coalition; full interview here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/how-companies-countries-are-beginning-to-put-a-value-on-nature
• Dr. Atul Arya, Senior Vice President and Chief Energy Strategist at S&P Global Commodity Insights and Co-Chair of the S&P Global Research Council; full interview here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/exploring-india-s-energy-transition-and-climate-adaptation-landscape
• Dame Susan Rice, who chairs the global steering group of the nonprofit Global Ethical Finance Initiative (GEFI); full interview here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/cop28-highlights-need-for-innovative-climate-finance-solutions
• Laura Lane, Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer at UPS; full interview here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/women-in-leadership-why-ups-head-of-sustainability-says-you-don-t-need-a-title-to-lead

Here’s the list of our 10 most downloaded episodes from 2023:

1. How financial institutions are tackling Scope 3 financed emissions: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/how-financial-institutions-are-tackling-scope-3-financed-emissions

2. How sustainable taxonomies are going global: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/how-sustainable-taxonomies-are-going-global

3. Setting the stage for sustainability in 2023: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/setting-the-stage-for-sustainability-in-2023

4. Regulation, supply chains, climate justice, employee burnout: The big challenges facing sustainability professionals: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/big-challenges-facing-sustainability-professionals

5. How companies, countries are beginning to put a value on nature: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/how-companies-countries-are-beginning-to-put-a-value-on-nature

6. How asset managers are moving to end commodity-driven deforestation: https://www.spg...

The US government recently published its Fifth National Climate Assessment, warning that climate change poses big risks to the nation's economy, human health, agriculture and food supply chains. This congressionally-mandated interagency analysis is released every four years and is the government’s preeminent report on climate change impacts, risks, and responses.

In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we're talking with four authors behind the report. To understand the impacts of climate change on the US economy, we speak to Monica Grasso, Chief Economist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Monica was the agency lead author for the economics chapter of the report.

We explore the link between climate change and human health with Mary Hayden, Research Professor at the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience at the University of Colorado and lead author of the report's chapter on human health.

To understand the impacts of climate change on agriculture and food supply chains, we hear from agricultural economist Dr. Dannele Peck, who is Director of the Northern Plains Climate Hub for the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and co-authored the report’s chapter on agriculture, food systems and rural communities.

And we hear about the physical impacts of climate change from Mark Osler, NOAA Senior Advisor for Coastal Inundation and Resilience who was federal coordinating lead author of the report’s chapter on coastal effects.

Read research from S&P Global Sustainable1 about the financial costs of climate change for companies here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/insights/featured/special-editorial/quantifying-the-financial-costs-of-climate-change-physical-risks

This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1, a part of S&P Global.

Copyright ©2024 by S&P Global

DISCLAIMER

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties.

As the US heads into Labor Day weekend, we're once again turning our focus to the topic of sustainability recruiting and how the hunt for global ESG talent is changing.

In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we're speaking to two recruiters focused squarely on the sustainability space. We hear from Kurt Harrison, a partner with the global executive search and advisory firm Russell Reynolds Associates, where he co-leads the global sustainability practice.

Kurt tells us he is seeing "a bit of a pause" in US hiring after several years of strong momentum. At the same time, he describes a very different recruiting environment in other parts of the world. "It's shocking to see the disparity in the level of conversation around sustainability with our European and Asia-[Pacific] clients versus our US clients."

In the episode, we also speak to Ellen Weinreb, founder of Weinreb Group, a boutique search firm focused on ESG and sustainability candidates. She talks to us about what candidates are looking for in employers, and what trends she sees on the horizon for sustainability recruiting.

Listen to our previous episode on how the hunt for ESG talent is evolving here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/how-the-hunt-for-esg-talent-is-evolving

You can learn more about the event S&P Global Sustainable1 during Climate Week, click here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/events/climate-week-2023?utm_source=web&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=podcast

And register here: https://events.spglobal.com/lRlvmv?rt=suGjbadFj0uCGwHKysKQtQ&RefId=podcast

Copyright ©2023 by S&P Global

DISCLAIMER

This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1, a part of S&P Global.

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties.

S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.

In 2022, the ESG Insider podcast is bringing you a series of interviews with some of the world’s largest asset managers, owners and financial institutions. In this episode, we hear from the largest pension fund in the U.S. — the California Public Employees' Retirement System, or CalPERS.

We speak to Simiso Nzima, managing investment director of global equity at CalPERS. The conversation focused on five vital sustainability topics — executive pay and its link to ESG performance; board diversity; climate risk; the lack of standardization in ESG metrics; the SEC’s new proposal on climate-related disclosures; and finally, the debate about divestment versus engagement.

To listen to our interview with BlackRock: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behind-the-scenes-with-blackrock-how-the-worlds/id1475521006?i=1000554510594

To listen to our interview with State Street Global Advisors: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/state-street-global-advisors-exec-on-climate-accountability/id1475521006?i=1000551552556

We'd love to hear from you. To give us feedback on this episode or share ideas for future episodes, please contact hosts Lindsey Hall ([email protected]) and Esther Whieldon ([email protected]).

Photo credit: Getty Images