Editor’s Note: This page was started in November 2023. The first draft will not be it is not completed until sometime in December.

Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG): The history of ESG shares many of the same roots as the movement to increase diversity, equity and inclusion (the acronym, DEI). The two became major movements among all those who were advocates for the sustainability of the environment, society, and governance. All with seemingly good intentions, by 2023 ESG and DEI had also become flashpoints for political purposes.

Perhaps it all started with the 1962 UN resolution to open the way for disinvestment in South Africa in response to its apartheid policies. By 1977 that resolution started to become actionable based on the work, the principles, and the direct threats of Leon Sullivan, an African-American board member of General Motors (GM). GM was the largest employer of South African blacks at that time.

A parallel dynamic became known as global warming and climate change.

Much more to come…

Footnotes and endnotes

[1] ESG:
1a. Retrieved from Wikipedia on November 8, 2023: ESG
1b. Originating file: https://81018.com/esg-dei/

[2] DEI: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion