The ESG Backlash: Why Environmental Investing Is Under Attack

ESG investing faces coordinated backlash from US politicians ('anti-woke' laws), fossil fuel interests, and skeptics arguing ESG lowers returns. Major asset managers (BlackRock) reducing ESG prominence in marketing. But the underlying drivers (climate risk, resource scarcity, regulatory pressure) haven't changed. Companies that manage ESG factors still outperform over the long term. The backlash may rebrand ESG but won't eliminate it — the risks ESG addresses are too real to ignore.