This is one of the last interviews Hazel Henderson gave before her passing in 2022. She will be deeply missed.
Is ESG broken — and what would a truly science-based approach to investing look like?
In this special TBLI Talk, Robert Rubinstein sits down with the legendary Hazel Henderson — futurist, evolutionary economist, author of nine books, and one of the most original and courageous voices in the history of sustainable finance. Long before ESG was an acronym and long before sustainable investing was a marketing category, Hazel was building the intellectual and institutional foundations for a world where capital served life. Her radical truth: ESG, as currently practised, is not enough. What we need is a science-based approach to investing that reflects the true wealth of people and planet — not just what GDP can measure.
In this episode:
- Why ESG is failing to address the environmental and social challenges we face — and what must replace it
- What a science-based, biomimicry-inspired approach to investing actually looks like
- Why GDP is an obsolete measure of progress — and what the Calvert-Henderson Quality of Life Indicators offer instead
- How the Green Transition Scoreboard tracked over $10 trillion in investments in the green economy long before mainstream finance noticed
- What Ethical Biomimicry Finance reveals about regenerative investment models
- What Hazel saw — decades ahead of her time — that the financial world is only now beginning to understand
The key insight: The economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the ecology. Until finance recognises that, all the ESG frameworks in the world will not be enough. Hazel Henderson spent fifty years trying to teach us this. The question is whether we are finally ready to learn.
⏱️ Episode Guide:
- 0:00 — Why ESG is not enough: the case for science-based investing
- 0:X:XX — GDP as fiction: measuring what actually matters
- 0:X:XX — The Green Transition Scoreboard and the green economy
- 0:X:XX — Ethical Biomimicry Finance: investing as if nature matters
- 0:X:XX — What the financial system must change to serve life
- 0:X:XX — Hazel's legacy and the work that remains
👤 About Hazel Henderson (1933–2022)Hazel Henderson was the founder of Ethical Markets Media and creator of the Green Transition Scoreboard, which tracked $10 trillion in investments in the green economy, and of Ethical Biomimicry Finance, a regenerative investment model. H Hazel Hendersoner articles appeared in over 250 journals including the Harvard Business Review, New York Times, and Christian Science Monitor, and her editorials were syndicated in 27 languages across 200 newspapers worldwide. S Ethicalmarketshe received the Reuters Award for Outstanding Contribution to Development of ESG & Impact Investing at TBLI Europe, and was honoured multiple times as one of the Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behavior by Trust Across America. S Ethicalmarketshe served as a science policy advisor to the US Office of Technology Assessment, the National Science Foundation, and the National Academy of Engineering, and received numerous honorary degrees. W Asbnetworkired magazine nominated her as one of the 50 people most likely to change the world. She was a giant — and a friend to TBLI.
For anyone who cares about the future of ESG, sustainable finance, and what it means to invest for a world worth living in — this episode is essential and essential listening.
ABOUT TBLI RADICAL TRUTHReal experience. Real results. No greenwashing. TBLI Group is the world's leading ESG and impact investing network — educating, advising, and connecting investors for 25 years.🌐 tbligroup.com
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