What's Your ESG Score?

I had an exchange with my editor in the last week during which he remarked how things I’d written about months ago are only now starting to be covered on the fringes of mainstream media channels.

Specifically, I’d written several pieces about The Great Reset. Now that the World Economic Forum’s meeting for this year has wrapped up, they’re not even trying to hide their intentions anymore. It’s all out in the open on the WEF website, and on the site of the International Monetary Fund.

One just has to drill past the flowery rhetoric, lofty humanist statements and near-religious fervor to run into horrifying information about what’s planned for us sheep-people of the world by the rich and powerful. I’ve got a pretty good record when it comes to seeing future trends and events. Which leads me to the ESG score.

Most of us are aware of the importance of our personal credit scores. They determine the ease with which we can get a loan, a mortgage or a credit card. The higher the credit score, the better change of securing such things and the more favorable the interest rate and terms you’re most likely to get.

The ESG score is a score currently used to grade businesses (and soon all of us) based on how matters pertaining to the environment (including “environmental justice” and climate change), social concerns (diversity, inclusion, racism, LGBTQ+, etc.) and governance (are you compliant or a trouble maker?). This isn’t in the future either. It’s here now.

Bloomberg has established Bloomberg ESG Data Services with ESG scores already on more than 11,000 companies in more than 102 countries. Artificial intelligence is used by an outfit called RepRisk to assemble ESG data on more than 150,000 companies, both private and public. And there are several others. These are two of more than a half-dozen companies vying to become the Experian or Equifax of the ESG world.

There is no solid standard yet for the actual score, so some ESG score providers deliver a rating on a scale of 1 to 100. Another uses a scale from 0 to 1, so it’s a decimal point. A couple more favor letter grades for F to AAA ratings. The insidious nature of all this is that the ESG score will be used to determine which companies get the business, contracts, investment and financing of other businesses and banks. Want to bid on a government contract? You’d better have a good ESG score. Want a loan to finance a new development? Your ESG score will count as much as your credit score. Score too low because you’re not onboard with government edicts or mandates? Too bad for you.

My friends, we are fast approaching a world in which your personal beliefs, rights, religious convictions and politics can, and will increasingly be used to determine your position in society – if there even is room for people like you. But don’t worry. I’m sure we’ll all be given a list of things we can do to raise our status based on what we say and do about the environment, social justice and the government.

Don’t panic. Next week, how to fight back – but it won’t be easy.