Since 2002
Postings and Commentaries
by Ron Robins
Podcast: August 2026 Sustainable Stock and ETF Picks
August 2026 Sustainable Stock and ETF Picks. Includes articles on the top clean-tech companies, AI infrastructure stocks, and ESG funds.…
The Rising Chorus of Renewable Energy Skeptics.
“‘Sometime during this century, it is highly likely that worldwide depletion of natural resources will force an entire reorganization of…
What boards should know about balancing ESG critics and key stakeholders.
“Companies may not be able to mute all of their critics, but being proactive on ESG reporting can help them…
How Faith-based Funds Are Evolving to Address Climate Change.
“‘Most [faith-based fund companies] are trying to screen out things like [companies involved with] abortion and pornography,’ says Chris McMahon…
Is There Such a Thing as Too Much ESG Disclosure?
“As regulators around the world push businesses for more disclosures related to their performance on environmental, social and governance matters,…
Companies that invest the most in green growth earn triple the returns
“Corporate Knights newly launched Sustainable Economy Intelligence (SEI) Database* ranks more than 2,800 public companies primarily by the percentage of revenues…
Hundreds of funds to be stripped of ESG rating.
“Unpublished BlackRock research also reveals thousands more will be downgraded in wide-ranging MSCI shake-up.” [COMMENTARY] It’s likely that other index…
Stronger climate regulations for banks might not actually cut emissions.
“Implementing their suggestions could force Canadian financial institutions to divest their fossil fuel company loans or refuse to insure oil…
Quantifying the Returns of ESG Investing: An Empirical Analysis with Six ESG Metrics.
“We document statistically significant excess returns in ESG portfolios from 2014 to 2020 in the U.S. and Japan. We propose…
ESG Battlegrounds: How the States Are Shaping the Regulatory Landscape in the U.S.
“As regulatory oversight of ESG tightens in the EU and U.K., with additional disclosure and more substantive requirements in this…
Deconstructing ESG Scores: How to Invest with your own Criteria
? “We explore the feasibility and performance of more targeted investment strategies based on specific ESG categories, by deconstructing ESG…
In pursuit of positive impact: Growing scrutiny around ESG highlights impact investing as a force for change.
“As Bob Eccles, sustainability researcher and founder and president of investment company Advisory Capital Partners puts it: ‘ESG is about the…
EU agrees world’s first bond issuance rules to combat greenwashing.
“The European Union said on Wednesday it had reached a deal on the world’s first set of comprehensive rules for…
The case for a Scope 3 carbon tax for financial institutions.
“In this guest commentary, Alejandra Padin-Dujon proposes a new kind of carbon tax, building upon recent EU legislation, that would…
Contradicting Skeptics, New Research Links ESG Performance to the Bottom Line.
“The importance of environmental, social and governance performance in business has become the subject of growing skepticism and pushback. But…
Survey: Financial Advisers Not Optimistic About Future of ESG Investing.
“Financial advisers are not optimistic about the future of including environmental, social and governance attributes to investing, in part due…
The E.S.G. Fight Has Come to This: Bankers Suing Lawyers.
“In October, Kentucky’s attorney generalorderedsome of the nation’s biggest banks and investment firms to turn over piles of documents that…
First global sustainability standards approach the finish line.
“Last week at the inaugural IFRS Sustainability Symposium in Montreal, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) wrapped up deliberations on…
These 200 companies are leading the clean economy in 2023.
“The Clean200 lists the 200 major corporate players from 35 countries around the world that are at the forefront of…
Penn State Research Shows Results Mixed on Whether Corporate Social Efforts Help Improve Company Finances.
“In a new publication in the journal Tourism Economics, Lee and his collaborators reviewed the research literature on how CSR…
The Complex Materiality of ESG Ratings: Evidence from Actively Managed ESG Funds.
“Our results from studying actively managed mutual funds support the hypothesis that ESG information is financially material, but complex. Specialized…
