Tensie Whelan is quoted in an article discussing ESG, the backlash, and the corporates pushing it forward.

 

"The idea behind ESG is that investors stand to make more money over the long term if they know how companies are dealing with risks and opportunities that aren't accounted for in traditional financial models. They're trying to understand what companies are doing to make themselves more sustainable, especially as disruptions from climate change grow.

 

If drought is threatening a body of water that manufacturers rely on for cooling their machines or for shipping goods, for example, how are they going to protect their operations? And how are companies responding to growing consumer demand for greener products?

 

ESG proponents say it isn't perfect, and that it isn't a substitute for government action to deal with climate change. Companies have been accused of misrepresenting their environmental records, a practice known as greenwashing. And the strategies that investment firms use to act on corporate ESG data aren't well understood.

 

Those shortcomings have made ESG 'a very easy whipping horse' in American politics, says Tensie Whelan, who runs the Center for Sustainable Business at New York University."

 

Read the full piece on NPR here.