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Michael Disabato

Michael Disabato

Senior Associate, ESG Research

Michael Disabato serves on the MSCI ESG Editorial Board and is the host of the Weekly Edition of ESG NOW. Previously, he was a freelance journalist covering the environment and worked as a member of the consultant relations team at Impax Asset Management. Mike also worked at a non-profit impact investing fund focused on sustainable agriculture. He graduated with a B.A. from Indiana University with a concentration in Economics and Comparative Literature.

Research and Insights

Articles by Michael Disabato

    Why we are still talking about women on boards

    Podcast | Feb 24, 2022 | Michael Disabato , Christina Milhomem

    Despite agreement on the value of gender diversity for companies, progress on that front has not been as rapid as it should be. We review the real-world impact of MSCI’s latest Women on Boards report findings, and what it may take to accelerate the pace.

    The SFDR’s Articles 8 and 9: The Funds Behind the Labels

    Research Report | Jul 6, 2021 | Michael Disabato

    How do funds stack up against the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR)? We looked at the ESG characteristics of 207 funds of the top 15 equity and mixed-asset fund managers to see which had disclosed information about their funds.

    Measuring Climate Change: Why Can’t We Just Turn Down the Sun?

    Podcast | Feb 4, 2021 | Linda-Eling Lee , Michael Disabato , Arne Philipp Klug , Thomas Verbraken

    Regulations to increase transparency and new methods for quantifying climate change risks and opportunities have pushed the issue to the fore for many investors. We get on the road to COP 26 with Professor Robert Eccles of The University of Oxford, Linda-Eling Lee, Head of ESG Research, and other MSCI experts.

    Water Funds’ Exposure to Sustainable Water Solutions

    Research Report | Jan 5, 2021 | Michael Disabato

    Fickle weather patterns due to climate change and a global demand that outstrips supply have put one-fourth of the Earth’s population in areas of “extremely high” water stress. We found 122 equity funds that invest in companies providing a solution to the water crisis but far fewer are “pure” water plays.

    Is climate-change risk all about fossil fuels? Think again.

    Blog | Sep 19, 2019 | Michael Disabato

    When it comes to reducing greenhouse gases, investors tend to focus on fossil fuels and power generation. But other companies also need to adapt to a lower-carbon world. We look at the implications for five types of companies.

    Under the hood: Rating ESG funds

    Blog | Jul 10, 2019 | Michael Disabato

    Nearly $31 trillion in assets under management were invested in funds that consider ESG issues in their investing process as of January 2018, a 34% increase from two years previously. Transparency is key to understanding what this expansion means.