Albert Mohler | The Briefing Wednesday, January 28, 2026
11 snips
Jan 28, 2026 A brisk look at how DEI rose, rebranded, and why institutions now distance themselves from it. A history of ESG’s rapid Wall Street embrace and the financial and political forces that pushed it back by 2026. A review of corporate activism, including Target’s backlash, and how consumer moral choices shape markets. Calls for honest debate about climate tradeoffs and competing public goods.
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ESG Mirrored DEI As Corporate Activism
- ESG represented a corporate movement combining environmental, social, and governance priorities that mirrored DEI's activist character.
- The agenda demanded radical changes like carbon reductions and governance diversity tied to moral claims.
Larry Fink's Davos Scarf Moment
- Larry Fink publicly championed ESG at Davos in 2020 and wore a symbolic warming-stripes scarf to emphasize climate urgency.
- That moment served as an apparent launch point for Wall Street's embrace of ESG as a moral imperative.
ESG As A Moral Investment Mandate
- ESG quickly became a defining feature of Wall Street investing framed as a moral mandate and litmus test for being 'on the right side of history.'
- Those moral claims pressured institutions to pledge major shifts toward clean energy and social goals.