As geopolitical factors lead to a reevaluation of a number of beliefs in the spectrum, currently -- like the first half of the year – the terrain continues to be rife with environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters, according to corpgov.law.harvared.edu.

While some forecasts laid out by the group in its February post “ESG: 2021 Trends and Expectations for 2022,” were on the dime, other were stymied by unexpected circumstances.  They included, for instance, the reverberations from the Ukraine invasion, a spike in regulatory scrutiny and some blowback from U.S. Supreme Court rulings. 

During the first six months of the year, the Russian intrusion of Ukraine took a hefty toll on ESG trends and performance, according to the site. The fire was lit under oil and gas prices, while the performance of ESY-focused funds lagged.

Then there’s the bigger picture, in which 47% of advisors concur that ESG investments in DC plans would play a role on environmental, social, and corporate governance on a macroeconomic level, according to loma.org. Occasional advisors? Well, they’re more likely to expect ESGs in DC plans to impact conditions more widely.