This is a recording of me reading an article I wrote in December of 2023 titled "Greenwashed, Brainwashed, Stakeholders, and Shareholders: The Missed Mark of ESG Investment Funds."

Abstract:
This article relates the history of ESG investing and provides a snapshot of current ESG regulation across the key financial centers of the EU, UK, China and Hong Kong, Singapore, and the USA. It explores the arguments opposing ESG initiatives and addresses pain points arising from current ESG regulations. The article concludes by asserting that international actors should not seek to reorient private capital markets, but instead focus on making the most cost-effective advances toward goals enshrined by international agreements.

Conclusion:
From Christian sermons in the 18th century to social justice warriors in the 21st, ESG has grown to become an incredibly pervasive and expensive idea. It has garnered interest from global institutions and has become a focus of international treaties. It is a major focus of regulators and legislators in Europe, a growing interest in Asia, and a source of political contention in the USA. But ultimately, it is little more than a distraction diverting time, attention, and capital away from the far more effective solutions to the problems facing mankind.

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