The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), a global initiative delivering a risk management and disclosure framework for nature-related risks, was launched in 2021 and delivered its final recommendations in November 2023. How did the TNFD publish their recommendations so swiftly, and how do they plan to scale its adoption? In this episode, Tony Goldner, Executive Director at TNFD answers these questions as well as explaining why they are at Davos this week, and their goals for...
Jan 16, 2024•27 min
In this episode we hear from LSEG's COP 28 delegation David Harris, Head of Sustainable Finance Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships and Adrian Rimmer, Director Sustainable Finance Capital Markets. They get into the latest COP agreement and the transition away from fossil fuels, how the conference has increased its focus on private companies and the finance sector, and what this means for Exchanges across the world. David also shares the recent launch of The Net-Zero Data Public Utility proj...
Dec 18, 2023•20 min
With 45% of the global population living in rural areas in developing countries, how can more capital be targeted to tackle poverty and food insecurity in these communities? The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), which is issuing bonds on the London Stock Exchange Sustainable Bond Market, is an international financial institution with this goal in mind. In this episode, Alvaro Lario, President of IFAD, discusses how they decide where to invest, how they measure impact, and w...
Nov 24, 2023•22 min
First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) was the first bank in the GCC to commit to net zero, trailblazing sustainability in the region. In this episode, Sarah Pirzada Usmani, Managing Director, Head of Loan Capital Markets & Sustainable Finance at FAB discusses how they began to focus on sustainable finance, how their ESG strategy has evolved and how this shift has changed their relationships with their clients. Sarah also delves into the UAE’s recent actions following their 2021 pledge to reach Net Zero...
Nov 15, 2023•26 min
What are the benefits and limitations of ESG ratings? In this episode, Florian Berg, Research Scientist at MIT and co-founder of the Aggregate Confusion Project delves into the topic, talking about how ESG ratings have evolved, their strengths and weaknesses, and whether measurement creates tangible outcomes. Florian also discusses the largely-debated question about alpha in the ESG space and why we have aggregate confusion.
Oct 30, 2023•26 min
How can you discover the sustainability-related risks and opportunities impacting a company’s future? In this episode, Sue Lloyd, Vice Chair of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), talks about their newly launched standards for corporate sustainability reporting, explaining their purpose and how they were developed so quickly. Sue also explains how different jurisdictions are approaching its adoption and how ISSB’s standards operate alongside previously established standards ...
Oct 16, 2023•28 min
Rising populations and water consumption mean the likelihood that water demand will outstrip the supply, also known as Day Zero, is much greater. In this episode, Craig Foster, CEO of Ondo InsurTech plc joins us to discuss how Ondo’s technology is saving millions of litres of water to fight this threat. Craig delves into how he realised Ondo could solve this key environmental issue at the same time as achieving its original purpose, how this technology prevents water waste and his experience lis...
Oct 02, 2023•26 min
How will the energy transition impact future investment opportunities? In this episode, Helen Lees-Jones, EMEA Head of Corporate Strategy and Co-Head of Sustainable and Transition Solutions at BlackRock defines transition investing, delves into the different transition strategies that BlackRock’s clients are applying and explains some of the roadblocks that transition investing is currently facing. Helen also reveals the mega forces she believes will shape the future and in turn the economy....
Sep 18, 2023•26 min
In this episode, Richard Scobey, Executive Director of TRAFFIC talks to us about the shocking scale of illegal wildlife markets, why the practice is so difficult to stop and what TRAFFIC and other organisations are doing to tackle this troubling issue.
Aug 29, 2023•28 min•Season 8Ep. 1
This is our last episode before we break for the summer! This week on the LSEG Sustainable Growth podcast we speak to John Willis, Director of Research, Planet Tracker. We get into all sorts, including the difference between nature and biodiversity, the importance it plays for financial institutions and how is it being tracked. Can companies be doing more to look at their nature footprint and not just their carbon footprint?
Jun 26, 2023•38 min•Season 7Ep. 15
Do we have carbon tunnel vision? In this episode, we talk to Musidora Jorgensen, Chief Sustainability Officer at Microsoft UK, about the role psychology and AI play in sustainability, the importance of a company’s sustainability strategy and Microsoft’s own sustainability goals, including becoming carbon negative by 2030. Musidora also explains why their focus is not just on carbon and delves deep into how Microsoft is supporting sustainability efforts through technology, from building a planeta...
Jun 12, 2023•26 min•Season 7Ep. 13
How can we bridge the gap in financial inclusion around the world and ensure women are financially independent? In this episode, we chat to Mary Ellen Iskenderian, president and CEO of Women's World Banking, about what exactly we mean by financial inclusion, why women are a large focus for their financial inclusion efforts, and steps they are taking to achieve security and prosperity for women as well as inclusive economic growth for all.
May 29, 2023•23 min•Season 2Ep. 113
How have sustainable investment approaches evolved with the growing popularity of passive investing? In this episode, we talk to Aled Jones, Head of Sustainable Investment Solutions at FTSE Russell, about the range of sustainability metrics seen in different indexes and how they are evolving to meet ever-changing investor needs. From assessing company alignment to the Paris Agreement to a broader ESG approach aiming to reduce ESG risk exposure, Aled explains how these different approaches meet d...
May 15, 2023•33 min•Season 2Ep. 112
We’re switching things up today with an episode from one of our other podcasts, Hedge Fund Huddle. Are we scared of emotions? Or can they be harnessed for good in stressful trading situations? In this episode we speak to two long-time experts in the field of psychology who work with traders to help them optimize performance on the desk and off. Dr. Richard Peterson is a psychiatrist and the CEO of MarketPsych and Dr. Alden Cass is a licensed clinical psychologist and trading performance coach. L...
May 01, 2023•48 min•Season 2Ep. 111
How can we improve efficiency and upscale carbon offsetting to meet sustainability goals? In this episode, we chat to Sheri Hickok, the CEO of Climate Impact Partners, about how they connect companies with carbon offset projects and climate solutions. Sheri explains the process and scale of carbon offsetting and talks about how diverse these projects can be. She also discusses the hurdles we need to overcome to halve carbon emissions and for Climate Impact Partners to meet their goal to reduce a...
Apr 17, 2023•21 min•Season 110Ep. 2
Why is climate change a systematic risk, and how could it impact investors? In this episode, we speak to Stephanie Pfeifer, CEO of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) about IIGCC’s current role, mission and journey, as well as how Climate Action 100+ has catalysed the shift from target setting to implementation by engaging with companies. Stephanie also explains how IIGCC enables investors to address and manage climate risks, how much progress has been made in the past tw...
Apr 03, 2023•23 min•Season 2Ep. 109
As the first of its kind, what does the future hold for London Stock Exchange’s new Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) framework, and how does it work? In this episode, we are joined by Richard Kelly, Co-founder of the Foresight Sustainable Forestry Company, and Claire Dorrian, Head of Sustainable Finance for the Capital Markets and Post-Trade Divisions of LSEG. Richard and Claire define what voluntary carbon market designations are, its main objectives, how the credibility of these carbon credits is...
Mar 20, 2023•29 min•Season 2Ep. 108
What is really meant by “green” and what is a “green taxonomy”? Who determines what is a green product or service and what isn’t? And is it ever possible that we’ll get to a single global green taxonomy? You can’t have a conversation about sustainable finance and investing these days without understanding green taxonomy, so we’re lucky in this episode to be joined by Lily Dai , Senior Research Lead on the Sustainable Investment Research team at LSEG. Lily helps us unpack the answers to each of t...
Mar 06, 2023•21 min•Season 2Ep. 107
Today, we’re chatting with Jenn-Hui Tan, Global Head of Stewardship and Sustainable Investing at Fidelity International. Over the course of his 15 year tenure at Fidelity, he’s watched as the definition of fiduciary duty has expanded as investors have begun to realize that the boundary of responsibility should not stop at the door of capital allocation, but should also include value creation. This specifically comes into play with the climate transition, and he takes us through the principles of...
Feb 20, 2023•26 min•Season 2Ep. 106
We’re back! Starting this year off with our very own Helena Fung, Head of Sustainable Investment in APAC for FTSE Russell. Jane & Helena get stuck into the nuances of SFI in the APAC region. Find out how sustainable investing is framed country by country and how we’ve partnered with China’s largest insurance company, Ping An to bring ESG scores for all Chinese companies into our market leading ‘China Index Series’.
Feb 06, 2023•22 min•Season 3Ep. 105
This week on The Green Room, Jane is joined by Lisa Zelljadt, Analyst on the Carbon Research Team, LSEG. A lot was covered at COP 27 this year, but something a little less known is the implications of The Paris Agreement’s, Article 6 on carbon trading. This article brings to light the issues of emission reductions being double counted. Find out what this means for countries, but also how this will impact organisations with their net zero plans.
Dec 19, 2022•17 min•Season 2Ep. 104
Now that COP27 has wrapped up, we wanted to do a bit of a debrief. So, to help make sense of what took place, and more importantly where we go from here, today we’re speaking with Ibukun Adebayo, Head of Strategic Initiatives at LSEG & Wale Shonibare, a Director at the African Development Bank. With over 600 million homes without electricity and making up less than 3% of global emissions. What does the ‘transition’ to clean energy or more importantly access to energy look like for Africa? Wh...
Dec 12, 2022•20 min•Season 2Ep. 103
Joining Keesa Schreane in the Green Room this week, logging on from Hong Kong, was Darrenth Hawken, Director of Global Infrastructure and Sustainable Finance at London Stock Exchange Group. Darrenth shared some of the findings of LSEG's latest 'Potholes on the Road to Sustainable Infrastructure' report, which highlights some of the major trends driving the current sustainable infrastructure investment marketplace, along with key data that will help refine the list of key players, flag the most i...
Nov 21, 2022•16 min•Season 2Ep. 102
This week on the Green Room we speak to Jaakko Kooroshy, Global Head of Sustainable Investment Research at FTSE Russell. Jaakko dives into our latest report 'COP 27 Net Zero Atlas'. Find out what countries are doing globally to meet the targets set by the Paris Agreement back in 2015. Are the targets ambitious enough to keep global warming to well below 1.5C? Not quite, but find out why, and who's making the most progress. Read the full report https://www.ftserussell.com/research/cop27-net-zero-...
Nov 14, 2022•15 min•Season 2Ep. 101
Jesica Andrews from the UN’s Environment Programme Finance Initiative joins us for an exciting conversation on the race to net zero. With COP 27 taking place this week it's a perfect time to get into the UN's many efforts in aligning countries and company goals to achieve net zero. While we get into country-wide goals, Jes also runs the Net Zero Asset Owners Alliance, one of many alliances for financial institutions. It sets and encourages concrete ambitious targets based on the 17 Sustainable D...
Nov 07, 2022•15 min•Season 2Ep. 100
LSEG’s Group Head of Sustainability Jane Goodland speaks to Sven Utermöhlen, RWE Renewables’ Offshore Wind Chief Executive Officer, to discuss the company’s roadmap towards net zero and the values of offshore wind. The conversation highlights RWE’s ‘Growing Green’ strategy, which includes ambitious plans to triple offshore wind capacity by 2030, and also how it intends to become a net positive employer when it comes to biodiversity. The Net Zero Conversations series was filmed at the Net Zero De...
Aug 23, 2022•16 min•Season 2Ep. 99
LSEG’s Group Head of Sustainability Jane Goodland speaks to Heather Buchanan, Executive Director/Founder of the APPG on Fair Business Banking/Bankers for Net Zero initiative, to discuss the roadmap towards net zero, and the critical relationship between business and the financial services sector in delivering climate action. The Net Zero Conversations series was filmed at the Net Zero Delivery Summit, hosted by the City of London Corporation in association with the COP 26 UK Presidency 2022 and ...
Aug 16, 2022•9 min•Season 2Ep. 98
LSEG’s Group Head of Sustainability Jane Goodland speaks to Hywel Ball, EY’s UK Chair and UK&I Managing Partner, to discuss the roadmap towards net zero and the collective responsibility that we all have to play in climate action. The conversation focuses on how collaboration and innovation between the financial sector, regulators, policymakers, and advisors will accelerate the energy transition post COP26, and also considers some of the near term obstacles around geopolitical risk and energ...
Aug 09, 2022•11 min•Season 2Ep. 96
LSEG’s Group Head of Sustainability Jane Goodland speaks to Nigel Topping, COP26 UN High-Level Champion for Climate Action, to discuss the roadmap towards net zero and the critical role that the financial services industry has to play in climate action. The conversation focuses on how the mobilisation of financial capital, along with solutions that pool intellectual capital, are helping non-state actors to drive private investment into emerging markets and other key areas of sustainable finance....
Aug 02, 2022•10 min•Season 2Ep. 96
LSEG’s Group Head of Sustainability Jane Goodland speaks to Emma Howard Boyd, CBE, Environment Agency/Green Finance Institute Chair, to discuss the roadmap towards net zero and the critical role that the Environment Agency has to play in climate action. The conversation focuses on the environmental issues impacting flooding and coastal erosion, and on other key risk management issues around climate shocks. Emma also explains her long-term vision for the climate agenda and the strategies to drive...
Jul 26, 2022•12 min•Season 2Ep. 95
