Co-evolution is a richer concept than simply evolution, because it takes a whole system viewpoint, emphasizing the interdependence between each part. This is a useful way to look at current developments in ESG investing.
A brief history of how ESG forced its way into the investment mainstream, and what happens next
The evolution of consumer preferences; the demise of the term “ESG investing”; more regulation. What else is next for ESG?
The best path for today’s teenagers/students to make a difference on the environment
While there are short-term outlets for young people to express environmental concerns, it is in career choices that the greatest potential for making a real difference lies.
ESG calls for a rethink of how you see the world: seven ways investment organizations may need to update their maps
Behind every investment decision lie assumptions, maps of how the world works. The emergence of ESG changes the landscape. Things that never used to matter now matter.
Biodiversity is becoming an investment issue
Biodiversity is about the health of the planet on which we depend. As Partha Dasgupta put it: “our economies are embedded within nature, not external to it”. Investment is beginning to recognize that.
Asset managers will continue to struggle with ESG until they take an honest look in the mirror
To paraphrase the old saw: if you only understand the financial implications of ESG factors, then you don’t understand the financial implications of ESG factors. Only once this is recognized can a firm begin to develop an effective ESG program.
The problem with money (and the battle for the soul of ESG investing)
Money’s effectiveness as a unit of account makes it tempting to treat it as the sole proxy for all value. It isn’t.
Greenwashing: Caring achieves nothing without regulation; regulation achieves nothing if nobody cares.
Regulatory steps, such as improved disclosure, are essential tools against greenwashing. But the real difference comes when people care about and engage with the disclosures. Caring makes greenwashing both more difficult and less worthwhile.
The implications for investors of not-zero
The implications of failing to achieve net zero emissions reach far beyond typical investment analysis. It’s a scenario that fundamentally disrupts everything around us.
The implications for investors of net zero and the energy transition
Since the Paris Agreement came into force in 2016, more than 100 governments have set net zero emissions policies, and the corporate sector has responded with policies of its own. The implications of this reach every part of the investment portfolio.