Beyond the Buzz
Beyond the Buzz from S&P Global Ratings dives into hot topics across the sustainable finance landscape. Co-hosts Corinne Bendersky and Michael Ferguson help to demystify Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) concepts and bring unique insights from ratings analysts and subject matter experts around the world.
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Understanding Scope 2 Emissions
09/15/2022
Understanding Scope 2 Emissions
In this episode, host Corrine Bendersky is joined by S&P Global Ratings analyst and lead sustainable finance expert Beth Burks. They discuss Beth’s latest commentary, “Purchased Energy Emissions In ESG Evaluations And Sustainable Financing Opinions.” This commentary clarifies the approach that S&P Global Ratings Sustainable Finance Group takes when evaluating scope 2 emissions. The two discuss challenges in greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting and the group’s views on the effectiveness of various scope 2 mitigation strategies. Related Article:
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Storm Clouds Or Clear Skies Ahead
08/03/2022
Storm Clouds Or Clear Skies Ahead
In this episode, host Mike Ferguson is joined by S&P Global Ratings analyst Nora Wittstruck, Senior Director and ESG Sector Leader of U.S. Public Finance. They discuss Nora’s latest commentary on the impact on U.S. local government credit ratings from property & casualty insurance premiums, which are skyrocketing due to physical climate risks. Nora reveals that, in the long-term, insurance costs could drive up the cost of home ownership, leading to economic stagnation or even a decline, and could squeeze certain demographics in affected communities. This commentary is the second of a two-part series exploring the potential credit effects of environmental physical risks. Related Articles: ;
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Weather Warning Countries’ Vulnerability to Physical Climate Risks
06/10/2022
Weather Warning Countries’ Vulnerability to Physical Climate Risks
In this episode, host Corinne Bendersky is joined by S&P Global Ratings analysts Dr. Paul Munday, Global Adaptation and Resilience Specialist, and Marion Amiot, Head of Climate Economics. They break-down a commentary they published recently that explores the vulnerability of 135 countries to physical climate change over the next 30 years. They unveil the stark discrepancies between the scale and permanence of economic impacts, by region and country. As the frequency and severity of events such as drought, floods, and wildfires increases, the financial and social costs to economies and people will be felt in different ways. Related Research:
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Navigating The Strengths And Challenges Of The Sustainable Finance Market
04/12/2022
Navigating The Strengths And Challenges Of The Sustainable Finance Market
Sustainable bond issuance topped the $1 trillion mark last year, up from $600 million in 2020. In this episode of Beyond the Buzz, Corinne Bendersky is joined by S&P analysts Lori Shapiro and Ana Maria Romero Ramirez delve into this fast-growing market. They discuss questions around the various sustainable finance instruments that have emerged in the market, including how green, social, and sustainable they really are. Do they really do what’s said on the tin? And how will this exciting market grow this year and beyond? Related Articles:
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2021: A Year In (ESG) Review
12/17/2021
2021: A Year In (ESG) Review
In this final episode of 2021, Corinne Bendersky, Michael Ferguson, and Michael Wilkins review key environmental, social, and governance themes of the year. Their conversation covers climate activism and litigation, nature-based solutions, the sustainable finance market boom, transparency and disclosure rules, the labor market, and supply chain issues.
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Natural Capital & Potential Incentives to Protect Nature - Live from COP26 in Glasgow!
11/08/2021
Natural Capital & Potential Incentives to Protect Nature - Live from COP26 in Glasgow!
In this special episode, Mike Wilkins takes to the floor of COP26 in Glasgow with Andrew W. Mitchell, the Vice Chair of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) Stewardship Council to discuss the issue of tackling global deforestation, a major issue in the fight against climate change. Many solutions are needed but a global adoption of natural capital accounting pricing measures could be the most promising way forward by potentially encouraging more forest-friendly farming practices. The discussion comes right on the heels of Nature Day at COP26 – a day promoting the importance of nature and sustainable land use globally.
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The ESG Implications Of The Global Supply Chain Disruption
10/25/2021
The ESG Implications Of The Global Supply Chain Disruption
In this highly topical episode, Corinne Bendersky and Mike Ferguson dissect the global supply-chain disruption and unpick the reasons for and ESG challenges underlying the worldwide disruption. The pandemic brought the complexities and interconnectedness of global supply chains to light, but the virus can’t take all the blame. COVID-19 caused a logjam but structural weaknesses like labor and skills shortages need urgent attention if the current worldwide disruption is going to fade.
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Climate Litigation & The Case For Better Climate Disclosure
10/11/2021
Climate Litigation & The Case For Better Climate Disclosure
In this episode, guest interviewer Thomas Englerth and the Commonwealth Climate and Law Initiative’s Ellie Mulholland climate litigation and its potential implications for the private sector. They cover what climate litigation is, how corporations could find themselves increasingly liable, and why the rise in these cases matters. As the causal link between the private sector’s GHG emissions and climate change becomes stronger with scientific data, the question quickly emerging is not only if corporates face liability, but who may be liable.
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A Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework Emerges To Address Social Disparities
08/03/2021
A Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework Emerges To Address Social Disparities
Climate disasters such as hurricanes, droughts, and wildfires continually expose vulnerabilities of U.S. infrastructure. In this episode, Corinne Bendersky and Mike Ferguson discuss the Senate’s recently announced bipartisan infrastructure package and its implications related to ESG. They cover what’s in the plan, what’s missing, who stands to benefit, and why the plan has bipartisan appeal. As infrastructure evolves beyond legacy transportation systems to focus more on climate resilience and environmental justice, a central question remains: How can infrastructure better serve our communities and facilitate the way that we live?
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Modelling Climate Change’s Physical Impacts
06/24/2021
Modelling Climate Change’s Physical Impacts
In the second of our two-part series on the physical impacts of climate change, Mike Wilkins asks Paul Munday to delve deeper into the role of climate data and models in evaluating future climate-related risks and opportunities. There’s a lot of data out there and the potential for unintended misuse or interpretation of outcomes, so what are some of the potential solutions given the uncertainties?
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The 101 On The Physical Impacts Of Climate Change
06/24/2021
The 101 On The Physical Impacts Of Climate Change
Paul Munday and Corinne Bendersky kick off the first in our two-part series on the physical impacts of climate change by providing the 101 on climate resilience. Extreme climate events are increasingly grabbing headlines. But what exactly are the physical impacts of climate change and how are they defined, which sectors and regions face the greatest risks, and how are companies and countries are adapting and building resilience?
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The Leaders Climate Change Summit
05/20/2021
The Leaders Climate Change Summit
Corinne Bendersky and Mike Ferguson return to discuss highlights from April’s Leaders Summit on Climate, hosted by the U.S. Several large economies reiterated their commitments to reducing emissions and other climate pledges—one of the most newsworthy being the U.S.’s goal to reduce emissions 50%-52% by 2030. But who will actually implement all of these lofty goals?
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Natural Capital And Addressing The Biodiversity Crisis
04/22/2021
Natural Capital And Addressing The Biodiversity Crisis
Notice fewer insects hitting your windshield while driving, or birds chirping? The biodiversity crisis is all around us, not just in places like the Amazon. Guest host Michael Wilkins speaks to sustainable finance analyst Maurice Bryson about how companies and governments can address this crisis, including the challenges of pricing and reporting for something considered a public good. But there is hope, especially post-COVID, that as people value nature more, they maybe be able to encourage policymakers to take action.
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Transition Finance: The Sustainable Debt Market’s Newest Tool
03/31/2021
Transition Finance: The Sustainable Debt Market’s Newest Tool
Corinne Bendersky chats with S&P Global Ratings Senior Research Fellow Mike Wilkins about transition finance, a newer development in the sustainable debt markets aimed at helping companies—especially those in “hard-to-abate” sectors—improve processes and invest in technologies to help reduce their carbon footprints. They delve into what transition bonds are and how they work, especially in relation to the new sustainability-linked asset class. Plus, how will transition finance evolve to meet global climate challenges?
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Five Trends That Will Dominate ESG In 2021
01/28/2021
Five Trends That Will Dominate ESG In 2021
Corinne and Mike delve into the five of the hottest ESG-related topics set to permeate 2021, sourced from S&P Global Ratings' sustainable finance team around the globe. As the pandemic persists, questions about equitable vaccine distribution continue to highlight the social divide and show that the fight for equality is far from over. Climate action, which had been on the back burner in 2020, will come back to forefront as countries and companies double-down on net-zero goals and start to address the biodiversity crisis. The sustainable debt market and transition finance will expand to enable these shifts in the "race to resilience."
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Social Risks Amid COVID-19 And The Booming Social Bond Market
12/11/2020
Social Risks Amid COVID-19 And The Booming Social Bond Market
COVID-19 has turned from “the great leveler” to the “great divider,” widening existing inequities around the world and leading to calls for greater social justice. Host Corinne Bendersky speaks with ESG analyst Lori Shapiro about the increasing importance of social risks amid the pandemic, shining a light on what “social risk” actually means and how it’s quantified amid the rapidly growing social bond market, which could exceed $100 billion this year.
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The Race For A COVID-19 Vaccine
10/28/2020
The Race For A COVID-19 Vaccine
With COVID-19 cases rising again worldwide and pandemic fatigue setting in, all eyes are on the pharma industry in the pursuit of a COVID vaccine. Mike Ferguson talks to pharma credit analyst Tulip Lim about how pharma companies are ensuring affordability and access, how they're responding to pressure, and how prepared the industry is to face the pandemic. After, Mike and Corinne catch up on the dynamics between the many stakeholders watching vaccine development closely--including the public and governments.
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Climate Change Diplomacy With Christiana Figueres
09/24/2020
Climate Change Diplomacy With Christiana Figueres
In this episode of Beyond the Buzz, Corinne Bendersky talks with Christiana Figueres about the diplomatic history of climate change negotiations and how COVID-19 may affect climate action going forward. Ms. Figueres was the executive secretary for the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change from 2010-2016, during which the historic Paris Agreement was signed. She reveals how collaborative--not confrontational--diplomacy was used to find common ground among stakeholders and help advance a shared agenda among 197 countries. Afterward, Corinne and Mike Ferguson discuss how the climate and COVID-19 crises intertwine--are there opportunities in the massive COVID recovery spending packages to not only accelerate the economy, but make progress toward climate goals?
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The Geopolitics Of Water
08/11/2020
The Geopolitics Of Water
In the second episode of Beyond the Buzz, we delve into the topic of water – often referred to as “blue gold.” With water disputes on the rise, the World Economic Forum ranks water scarcity as more impactful than even infectious diseases in its 2020 Global Risks Report. S&P Global Ratings’ resident water risk expert, Beth Burks, joins Corinne Bendersky and Mike Ferguson in the episode to explore the myriad risks related to water and how they may be exacerbated by climate change going forward. The trio also unpack the corporate perspective on water risk, how businesses and governments are addressing this growing threat, and the key indicators to monitor to mitigate long-term risk exposure.
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The Power Of Stakeholder Pressure: How Companies Are Responding To Systemic Racism
07/09/2020
The Power Of Stakeholder Pressure: How Companies Are Responding To Systemic Racism
In our inaugural episode, co-hosts Corinne Bendersky and Mike Ferguson discuss the Black Lives Matter movement and how it’s translating into calls for greater racial equity in the workplace. S&P Global CEO Doug Peterson and Funmi Afonja share their unique perspectives on the BLM movement and how employees, companies, and society at large are confronting the reality of racism. Corinne also digs in further with sustainable finance analyst Neesha-ann Longdon, focusing on what “diversity and inclusion” means in practice and how stakeholders are pressuring companies to not only respond to the current movement, but enact meaningful long-term changes to root our racism from corporate cultures.
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