Over the previous two decades, environmental and ecological concerns have increasingly come to influence action in the equity markets. More recently, an uptick in shareholder activism in the financial and oil and gas sectors has suggested a new means by which motivated parties can push for action on net zero.

Companies in the energy and hard-to-abate sectors must perform a delicate balancing act in order to ensure that commercial value and ethical values are co-existent, rather than contradictory. There are means by which this can be achieved, but companies will need help from policy makers. For one, all reductions in carbon emissions should be valued under existing legal frameworks. Too often investments are not pursued because they are not considered "green" according to prevailing definitions, despite having substantial environmental and economic impacts. Recognizing these efforts can encourage more companies to invest in sustainable practices.

This was among the key observations during the recent GET Congress 2024 Leadership Roundtable “Shareholder values and shareholder value: Reconciling business imperatives and corporate social responsibilities”.

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