Book throws light on the good, the bad and the unknowns of sustainable investing

IN THE Puzzle of Sustainable Investment, author Lukasz Pomorski, senior vice-president at Acadian Asset Management and an adjunct professor at Columbia University, presents a collection of important tools for the sustainable investor to navigate the fiercely contested subject of environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing.

He analyses the channels through which sustainability shapes corporate decisions, and discusses many practical examples and case studies that provide a succinct summary of the industry’s key issues. Pomorski adeptly discusses the good, the bad and the unknown of sustainable investing, while acknowledging that the answer to some of the critical questions is the dreaded “it depends”.

Based on a simple thought experiment, Pomorski correctly concludes that ESG characteristics are a source of information; and some of this information may be helpful in pursuing financial goals irrespective of how investors feel about ESG investing more broadly.