Big oil won, ESG lost
The return of Donald Trump gives further evidence of ‘big oil’ as an investable asset, with the only question being whether anyone is really surprised
ESG is dead, or if not strictly speaking deceased, at least mutating into something unrecognisable from the investment philosophy it was at its peak sometime in 2021. The presidency of Donald Trump has likely put the final nail in the ESG coffin, but in truth the concept was on its last legs anyway, ever since it became caught up in the US’ culture wars and became a source of embarrassment— indeed legal jeopardy—for its advocates. Mainly Republican states in the US took action against big financial institutions that espoused ESG principles on the grounds they were acting against the interests of their clients, shareholders and energy consumers by pushing a green agenda ahead of financial ret

Also in this section
4 July 2025
Race is on to meet end-2027 deadline for 45V as Congress passes One Big Beautiful Bill Act
1 July 2025
Gas industry and EU politicians pile pressure on European Commission to provide more regulatory certainty on emissions calculations
27 June 2025
TotalEnergies’ delayed FID for its Venus project will likely set back first oil, but Windhoek has other irons in the fire
26 June 2025
Last year was one of records for renewables but also for oil, gas and coal, as the energy transition progresses in an increasingly uneven way, according to the Energy Institute’s latest annual report