ESG in the midst of the ruckus in US politics has emerged into the latest turf war for the ideological real estate. In these times it is important to head back to basics and remember sustainability is about quality of living with an eye towards corporate integrity and accountability.

Meanings and nomenclature are sites of contestation yet we reside on one planet with finite resources and that reality does not change.

Businesses are usually uncomfortable to comment or act on Human Rights as it is a messy terrain, prone to culture wars, however the synergies linking climate emergency and human rights are significant, with transnational torts informing legal action against corporate actors. ESG data prone to green washing can be fodder for legal risk.

There is a need for real engagement to move the needle to report positive results. Carbon and Community are bridged through legal action.

Young professionals and even seniors are often dumbfounded by steep learning curves that hit them like a truck when shifting roles or skilling up. The information superhighway helps but there is a real coaching gap in making things work.

The actual work of sustainability or ESG on the ground is different to what is read in textbooks or white papers. An understanding of culture and power is critical to what gets done and what gets excluded. An ethnography of sustainability under works is needed.

A lot of folks often do not realize that I have made a living being an experienced environmental engineer, air quality modeler and as an ESIA Practitioner. I would like to scale up my engineering credentials in the months ahead in the climate risk domain.

The basics of engineering are imperative in the climate transition era.

As the new IPCC Synthesis Report states that time is finite for climate change mitigation, we need to ramp up access to transition finance, in which ESG as a lens has a way to funnel and structure the funds to the right targets and in a responsible way.