Carbon footprints tell you where a fund has been. But do they tell you how it’s positioned for the road ahead?

In this episode, we unpack new research from Positioning Portfolios for the Energy Transition (link to paper), analyzing more than 37,000 funds representing $50 trillion in assets. The findings suggest that funds with stronger energy transition positioning scores delivered higher historical returns and were more closely linked to real-world decarbonization.

We explore the critical distinction between transition pressure (risk exposure) and transition readiness (strategic preparedness), why temperature alignment and transition risk are not the same thing, and what this means for investors balancing financial performance with climate objectives.

If you think climate metrics begin and end with carbon intensity, this conversation will challenge that assumption!

Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI Sustainability & Climate

Guest: Kishan Gangadia, MSCI Sustainability & Climate

Sustainable investors are redrawing their red lines. As defense spending rises, the definition of “controversial weapons” is being reexamined — from nuclear value chains to AI-enabled systems in the kill chain. Where those lines fall could reshape portfolios.

Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI Research & Development

Guest: Mike Disabato, MSCI Research & Development

The 2026 World Cup is bringing the world to North America this summer. But the stadiums hosting the biggest sporting event on the planet face a problem no amount of ticket revenue can solve: the climate they were built for isn't the climate they're operating in. We look at which venues are most exposed to heat waves, flooding, and even the ground sinking beneath them, why this problem goes beyond the beautiful game, and why the insurance and bond markets haven't caught up to what the data already shows.

Episode Reading: What can physical hazard data tell us about the 2026 World Cup?

Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI Sustainability & Climate

Guest: Katie Towey, MSCI Sustainability & Climate

Laura Nishikawa, Head of Emerging Risks R&D at MSCI sits down with Jenn-Hui Tan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Fidelity International, as part of the MSCI Prospectives Podcast to discuss the next phase of sustainable investing. As the public narrative grows noisier and more politicized, they look past the headlines to the economic fundamentals shaping the transition and portfolio management.

The conversation explores where momentum in the energy transition is really coming from, why markets continue to struggle with physical climate risk and how investors are adapting to weaker policy signals, shifting governance dynamics and greater uncertainty in capital markets.

As food retailers work to digitize and enhance their logistics and supply networks, they’re becoming more exposed to cybersecurity risks. In this episode, we discuss how a wave of recent cyberattacks has exposed vulnerabilities across the sector — how prepared companies really are, and why investors may want to sit up and take notice.

Host: Gabriela de la Serna, MSCI Research & Development

Guest: Cole Martin, MSCI Research & Development

Flat prices, steady volumes — carbon markets in 2025 might seem uneventful. But dig a little deeper, and a clearer picture emerges: buyers are paying more for quality. We explore how media scrutiny, new rating systems, and evolving buyer expectations are reshaping how carbon credits are valued.

Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI Research & Development

Guests: Nicholas Baldwin & Utkarsh Akhouri, MSCI Research & Development

For years, institutional investors treated human rights as a checkbox exercise, something to monitor after the fact. But a new wave of regulation and stakeholder pressure is forcing a fundamental shift from passive oversight to active due diligence. In this episode, we explore how forward-thinking investors are moving beyond retroactive screening to implement proactive human rights risk management across their portfolios.

Episode Reading: Human-Rights Risks in Portfolios: From Oversight to Due Diligence

Host: Mike Disabato, MSCI Sustainability & Climate

Gust: Aura Dron, MSCI Sustainability & Climate

When policy and markets move in different directions, the results can be surprising. In this episode, we explore five sustainability and climate trends we'll be watching in 2026. From AI-boosted clean tech and central banks enforcing climate risk rules, to investors reckoning with physical hazards in private equity and the rise of state ownership in strategic sectors. We unpack how materiality is maturing, policy is pivoting, and capital is flowing into what works.

To register for the 2026 Trends to Watch webinar, click here.

To review all our trend research we have put out to date, click here.

Host: Bentley Kaplan, MSCI Sustainability & Climate

Guest: Liz Houston, MSCI Sustainability & Climate