Around 300 corporates, financial institutions, investors and academics gathered in Paris on May 10 for the S&amp;P Global Sustainable1 Summit to discuss topics including net zero, biodiversity, the energy transition and the ESG data challenge. In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we sit down on the sidelines of the event with Sagarika Chatterjee, high level champion for climate action and the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, or GFANZ. Sagarika talks about the importance of credible, near-term net zero targets. "This has to be about the next five years. It can't be about only the next 20 or the next 30," she tells us. We also sit down with Magnus Billing, CEO of Sweden’s largest pension fund, Alecta. He says carbon pricing could be part of the solution in getting to net zero. "The market doesn't have the proper incentives today to take action," he tell us. "The drive to make changes and take actions would be enormously higher if we had a correct price on the actual cost" of carbon. 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 (lindsey.hall@spglobal.com) and Esther Whieldon (esther.whieldon@spglobal.com). Register for the S&amp;P Global Sustainable1 Summit here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/sp-global-sustainable1-summit?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=podcast&amp;utm_content=ESGInsiderAd Photo credit: Getty Images

On the ground in Paris: Long-term net zero goals need urgent action

Shareholders filed proposals on nearly 400 environmental, social and sustainability issues at U.S. companies through mid-February. The top topics were climate change, gender diversity and corporate political spending.

In the second episode of ESG Insider, an S&P Global podcast, we talk to the activist shareholders behind some of these proposals. We hear from one of the world's largest banks about how it engaged with an activist investor on the gender pay gap. And some skeptics of the ESG movement weigh in with their misgivings about the corporate focus on sustainability.

"At some point it comes down to: is the company taking the action that shareholders think is necessary? And if not, the resolution process is a way to focus a company's attention on the issue," said Danielle Fugere, president and chief counsel of As You Sow, which is at the forefront of efforts to get companies to set targets to lower their greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The episode features an exclusive interview with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler, who shares his views on the ESG movement.

Also in episode 2, Arjuna Capital LLC Managing Partner Natasha Lamb reveals how her wealth management firm convinced Citigroup Inc. to disclose new — and unflattering — gender pay gap data, even as other banks push back. And Citigroup Global Head of Human Resources Sara Wechter explains why the bank is OK with admitting it has some progress to make in that area.

"In order for us to really make a difference, we have to become as comfortable as we possibly can be with the numbers, even if they are uncomfortable," Wechter said.

Other podcast guests include Center for Political Accountability President and Co-founder Bruce Freed, and Tim Doyle of the American Council For Capital Formation, which is a member of the Main Street Investors Coalition that is pushing back on the ESG movement.

(Photo: AP)

Investors and companies are facing off over these sustainability issues

ESG Insider is a new podcast from S&P Global that takes you inside the environmental, social & governance issues shaping the business world today. Each episode, co-hosts Lindsey White and Esther Whieldon will speak with experts and leverage S&P Global data to shine a light on the ESG opportunities and risks that business leaders and investors need to know about. Lindsey White is a financial news editor with S&P Global Market Intelligence. Esther Whieldon is a sustainability and climate news reporter, also with Market Intelligence.

On the ground in Paris: Long-term net zero goals need urgent action

ESG Insider: A Podcast by S&P Global

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