This article examines how the financial system shapes outcomes in the real economy, and how current structures allow it to serve its own interests ahead of the societies that sustain it. It explores four structural drivers financialisation, short termism, a misaligned understanding of fiduciary duty, and the misrepresentation of climate risk and shows how they produce harmful economic and environmental outcomes.
Who this is for:
People inside financial institutions working to advance ESG integration, long term value thinking, or climate disclosure, and who need clear arguments to engage internal stakeholders
Policymakers and regulators designing financial system reforms, carbon pricing mechanisms, or sustainable finance frameworks
Civil society and NGO leaders engaging with funders, impact investors, or development finance institutions who need to understand how finance operates in practice
Executive leaders in business responding to ESG requirements, investor expectations, and transition pressures
Educators and researchers in economics, public policy, business, and sustainability seeking a more grounded explanation of how finance connects to broader system outcomes
Systems change practitioners who need a structured way to understand how finance contributes to inequality and natural system breakdown
This article operates at the level of system structure and paradigm. It is intended for those who want to understand how finance shapes economic and environmental outcomes, and how it can be restructured to serve long term value creation.