Big oil won, ESG lost
The return of Donald Trump gives further evidence of ‘big oil’ as an investable asset, with the only question being whether anyone is really surprised
ESG is dead, or if not strictly speaking deceased, at least mutating into something unrecognisable from the investment philosophy it was at its peak sometime in 2021. The presidency of Donald Trump has likely put the final nail in the ESG coffin, but in truth the concept was on its last legs anyway, ever since it became caught up in the US’ culture wars and became a source of embarrassment— indeed legal jeopardy—for its advocates. Mainly Republican states in the US took action against big financial institutions that espoused ESG principles on the grounds they were acting against the interests of their clients, shareholders and energy consumers by pushing a green agenda ahead of financial ret
Also in this section
18 February 2026
The global gas industry is no longer on the backfoot, hesitantly justifying the value of its product, but has greater confidence in gas remaining a core part of the global energy mix for decades
18 February 2026
With marketable supply unlikely to grow significantly and limited scope for pipeline imports, Brazil is expected to continue relying on LNG to cover supply shortfalls, Ieda Gomes, senior adviser of Brazilian thinktank FGV Energia,
tells Petroleum Economist
17 February 2026
The 25th WPC Energy Congress, taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 26–30 April 2026, will bring together leaders from the political, industrial, financial and technology sectors under the unifying theme “Pathways to an Energy Future for All”
17 February 2026
Siemens Energy has been active in the Kingdom for nearly a century, evolving over that time from a project-based foreign supplier to a locally operating multi-national company with its own domestic supply chain and workforce






