Dear John,
On April 3rd, live from Phoenix, As You Sow’s CEO Andrew Behar participated in the debate: “ESG Now and in the Future: Is There Common Ground?" hosted by UofA Center for the Philosophy of Freedom and the National Review. It featured two former White House press secretaries, Trump’s Presidential Economic Advisory Council Chairman, The Arizona State Treasurer, and the former head of Corporate Social Responsibility from Starbucks. The resulting discussion was both fascinating and intense – we invite you to watch the full recording. |
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Highlights from the debate include:
Andrew Behar pointed out that “ESG is a just a framework for assessing and addressing risk.” He elaborated on the topic of finding common ground:
“I think we can all agree that we don’t want to gamble with the pensions of firefighters, teachers, and police officers; their nest egg, their savings. I think we can agree that we don’t want big government telling us how to invest; we want the freedom to invest. I think we can all agree – people in the audience – that we don’t want another 26 days in a row of 110 degrees in Phoenix." | | | | | The debate shifted to agriculture, and Kimberly
Yee said, “the biggest threat today for the average farmer is ESG.” Sandra Taylor, whose job it is to meet with farmers around the world, countered that, “The biggest threat today for farmers is climate change.”
“The biggest threat today for farmers is climate change, not ESG. It’s drought, it’s pests, it’s pests that live longer in the winter because of climate change. I talk to farmers all the time, that’s all I do. I talk to coffee farmers, vineyard managers… farmers all over the world. British Columbia lost its entire wine vintage this year because of climate change. I’m talking about decisions
that businesses make based on risk, and ESG is just one way for risk to be assessed.” | | | |
| | Thank you for joining us in standing up for the freedom to invest in socially ethical and environmentally sustainable companies. Together, we remain the voice of reason, that corporations must be an integral part of the transition to a future we can believe in. | |
| | As You Sow is the nation’s leading shareholder representative, with a
30+ year track record promoting environmental and social corporate responsibility and advancing values-aligned investing. Its issue areas include climate change, ocean plastics, toxins in the food system, biodiversity loss, racial injustice, lack of workplace diversity, and excessive executive compensation. See As You Sow’s shareholder resolution tracker. | | |
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