ESG Performance, Environmental Uncertainty, and Firm Risk

ABSTRACT The growing concern over sustainable development has raised critical questions about the role of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance in shaping organizational outcomes. While prior research underscores the importance of ESG, there is limited understanding of its impact on firm risk, particularly under varying levels of environmental uncertainty. Using a data set of 9201 observations from Chinese listed companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges from 2006 to 2022, this study investigates how ESG performance influences firm risk and the moderating effect of environmental uncertainty. Our findings reveal that ESG performance reduces firm risk by lowering environmental penalties, easing financing constraints, enhancing corporate reputation, and improving access to government subsidies. Additionally, environmental uncertainty strengthens the negative impact of ESG performance on firm risk. These results highlight the critical role of ESG performance in mitigating corporate risk and offer practical implications for firms, investors, and policymakers seeking to align corporate strategies with sustainable economic development goals.