CCLA's James Corah: An ESG Christmas Carol

How to get ESG back on track

clock • 3 min read

In Charles Dickens’ classic novella, A Christmas Carol, elderly miser Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the spirits of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come and, after this journey of self-realisation, he rediscovers the true meaning of Christmas and becomes a happier man.

It is very easy to recast this story as an allegory for ESG (or sustainable finance). The ghost of ESG Past is one of optimism, such as when mission- and faith-driven investors, many from the Christian faith, sought to align their money with their values and use their investments to drive change. ESG was moulded in the context of pushing for change against challenges such as apartheid and the Vietnam war.  This is, in many ways, the ESG that our clients desire today. Divergence set to define regulation in 2024 following passing of UK financial services act Indeed, as we look ...

To continue reading this article...

Join Investment Week for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, analysis and opinion from the investment industry, including the Sustainable Hub covering fund news from the ESG space
  • Get ahead of regulatory and technological changes affecting fund management
  • Important and breaking news stories selected by the editors delivered straight to your inbox each day
  • Weekly members-only newsletter with exclusive opinion pieces from leading industry experts
  • Be the first to hear about our extensive events schedule and awards programmes

Join now

 

Already an Investment Week
member?

Login

More on ESG

Morgan Lewis' William Yonge: SDR and consumers' desire to 'do good' with their money
ESG

Morgan Lewis' William Yonge: SDR and consumers' desire to 'do good' with their money

Investors could become 'lost' in 'jargon'

William Yonge
clock 02 December 2024 • 4 min read
City Hive's Bev Shah: Why target setting matters
ESG

City Hive's Bev Shah: Why target setting matters

'Provide focus and motivation'

Bev Shah
clock 28 November 2024 • 3 min read
Jupiter's Jason Pidcock on ESG 'nonsense' and why China remains 'unappealing'
ESG

Jupiter's Jason Pidcock on ESG 'nonsense' and why China remains 'unappealing'

Manager of Jupiter Asian Income fund

Linus Uhlig
clock 27 November 2024 • 5 min read
Trustpilot