Energy CEOs Hit Mute Button on ESG, Hinting at Fading Interest

The top bosses of US oil and gas companies are speaking less and less about climate and carbon emissions, a signal that the industry’s public focus on ESG over the past couple of years may be fading.

That, at least, is according to a Bloomberg analysis of quarterly conference calls held by 172 American oil and gas companies. The data shows how terms such as “climate change”, “energy transition” and “net zero” have come up with gradually less frequency in the most recent rounds of conversations with analysts and investors.

In fossil fuel suppliers’ conference calls this quarter, the use of ...