The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded on Monday to Claudia Goldin, a Harvard professor, for her work to advance the world’s understanding of women in the work force. She made history by being the first woman to win the award solo rather than sharing in the prize. To honor her achievement, we discussed our own gender pay gap research that is in part informed by academics like Dr. Goldin, focusing on a new regulation in Japan that mandated companies disclose their pay gap data. And then, after we go through the numbers, we have a special part of this episode where colleagues come on to share their experiences of work before and after motherhood.

Physical risk from climate change has started to affect nearly every region of the world, from the four hottest days on record occurring in a row this month to more frequent, more intense storms. We discuss what this all may mean for companies, insurers and investors.

Companies operating in industries assessed on biodiversity-related key issues, may contribute more to biodiversity loss and be more susceptible to biodiversity-loss risk. We looked at the MSCI AC Asia Investable Market Index to see where the risks lay.  

Hazard data is a key component of physical-risk modeling. We mapped the physical assets operated by constituents of the MSCI AC Asia Investable Market Index to the most prevalent climate hazards in the region to see where the risks lay.

A future that relies on fossil fuels could expose almost a quarter of the market value of companies in the MSCI ACWI IMI to the risks of severe physical climate impacts. Which were the most vulnerable sectors and what can be done to limit the risks? 

Commercial real estate with an estimated value of USD 1.5 trillion stands in the projected path of Hurricane Ian, which is forecast to make landfall in Florida this week.  

Not many industries are as important as the automobile industry is to developed economies. At the moment, it is going through a change we haven’t seen in a century as it shifts toward electric vehicles and companies work to lower their emissions. In this episode, we discuss what the biggest changes have been to the auto industry so far in 2022 and where it may to go.

As biodiversity loss accelerates, companies and investors are under increasing pressure to act. But turning data into decisions is trickier than it seems. And after a bumpy ride for the EV start-up, ELMS files for bankruptcy and rings a cautionary governance bell.

A quarter of animal and plant species could face extinction heightening economic risks from biodiversity loss. Investors and issuers focusing on asset location and dedicated risk management practices could mitigate some of these challenges.

A USD 1 trillion deal is scheduled to be signed into law by US President Biden on Monday, November 12. The deal, in the White House’s words, is imperative for the US to meet its commitment to reduce U.S. emissions by 50-52% from 2005 levels in 2030, create a 100% carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035, and achieve a net-zero economy by 2050. It allocates funds toward updating the US transportation system, its energy infrastructure, its climate resiliency, and its water system. We discussed how these plans move from the political stratosphere to the more habitable land of economic stimulus.

“Say on climate” proposals are making a splash at 2021’s AGMs. But for skeptics, these proposals my raise more questions than answers. And another hurricane season has battered the gulf coast, creating social disruptions and a reeling oil & gas sector. We dig deeper into climate models and the trickier corners of physical risk.

Biodiversity has finally become mainstreamed, and the world is better understanding what its destruction means for our ongoing concern as a species. Many industries play a significant role in global biodiversity loss, and the mining industry is one of the big ones. We look at how mining is impacting biodiversity and where mining is impacting biodiversity. Then we provide you with another proxy season update with the bombshell resolution at HSBC that commits the bank to phasing out coal-fired power and thermal coal mining financing by 2040 that passed at 99%. And that makes it legally binding.

Will biodiversity losses become the next crisis facing humanity, possibly surpassing climate change? Growing scrutiny on biodiversity risks could have implications for mines that threaten biodiversity or environments of high conservation value.

Real estate investors are buying and leasing assets that might be jeopardized by a climate-changed world. A new analysis can help investors identify high-risk U.K. locations.