Taxes, ESG are potential wake-up calls to go green

COVID-19 is a stark reminder of our fragility and amid this ongoing crisis, it has forced us to consider the Earth's vulnerability too. The way this unseen pathogen has impacted life on the planet raises questions about other impending risks, and one of the biggest ones is climate risk.

Hence, we hope 2021 will be the year when environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors take centre stage. The figures are already promising, with a record number of companies disclosing ESG data. But with such a big global task ahead, the job will never be done until all companies and their stakeholders promote the resilience of the environment.

While ESG issues have come into the spotlight, the topic of taxes has so far remained largely absent from the ESG conversation. For many, the link between taxes and ESG may not be obvious, but in actuality, taxes are a very basic and comprehensive measure of how much a company contributes to the economy.