- ESG investments reach a new maturity with less hype and skepticism, but investors looking to align with the Paris Agreement’s goals may start to see a shrinking pool of eligible opportunities.
- Corporate issuers are upping their ESG disclosure game, just in time for a flood of new disclosure requirements. Can investors keep up?
- COVID-19 exacerbated existing social inequalities and made it clear that new diseases are among the risks we face from continued biodiversity and habitat loss. Investors may seek new ways to tackle these systemic risks.

Climate. ESG bubbles. Disclosure. Social inequality. Biodiversity. The topics don’t get much bigger — or more systemic. Here’s our analysis of the five ESG trends that will matter most to companies and their investors in 2021.

#1 - Climate Reality Bites: Actually, We May Not Always Have Paris
Five years ago in Paris, the world agreed to limit global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius. Investors got on board, working to align portfolios with this goal. but the easy part is over now. A few exclusions and a portfolio tilt can get you only so far. In 2021, investors committed to aligning with the Paris Agreement face a steeper climb ahead: persuading companies to make radical changes or face a rapidly shrinking universe of qualifying investments