In the United States, Republican lawmakers in 37 states have introduced 165 anti-ESG pieces of legislation. About one-third of the anti-ESG proposals in 2023 was focused on diversity—asking companies to report on the ‘risk’ that their anti-discrimination or racial justice efforts pose to their business.
So what?
The conflation of sustainability and diversity initiatives may demonstrate how anti-ESG sentiment is, in part about keeping existing power structures intact. In contrast, Nikayla Jefferson captures the spirit of an intersectional approach to climate justice well: “Racial justice, economic justice, immigration justice — it’s all climate justice. This isn’t just the white climate kids’ movement anymore — this is an intersectional movement for justice.”
Sources
- www.pleiadesstrategy.com/state-house-report-bill-tracker-republican-anti-esg-attacks-on-freedom-to-invest-responsibly-earns-business-labor-and-environmental-opposition.
- www.hbr.org/2023/04/why-business-leaders-must-resist-the-anti-esg-movement
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The generational rift over 'intersectional environmentalism' https://grist.org/justice/intersectional-environmentalism-justice-language/
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