“Private equity firms are funding climate death,” shouted one of the protestors. “You’re using fancy words like ESG and sustainable investment to hide the fact that 80% of your investment portfolio is in fossil fuels.”

Holding a sign saying that read ‘Climate Change = Mass Murder’, the protestor shouted: “You’re selling away our future”. Another chanted “Stop funding climate death” as he slowly backed out of the room, while attendees looked on awkwardly. The protestors were eventually ejected.

“This is an interesting perspective,” responded venture capital investor Eric Benhamou, who was moderating the panel. Other panelists included Greg Wasserman of Wellington Management, Geoff Eisenberg of Ecosystem Integrity Fund, and Valerie Shen of G2 Venture Partners

The protest, targeting an event hosting thousands of delegates from the private equity industry and broader banking and investment sector, comes after several months of tumult around the application of ESG in investing.

Industry insiders such as Stewart Kirk, former head of responsible investing at HSBC, and business figures like Elon Musk have sharply criticized the current state of ESG implementation in finance.

Disclosure of data on ESG factors is still limited in many areas of the financial markets, including leveraged finance. According to a recent analysis of data from 9fin’s proprietary ESG platform, leveraged companies are reporting less than 45% of key ESG data points.

On the sidelines of the conference hall, attendees speaking to 9fin expressed both shock and confusion at today’s unexpected panel intrusion.

“I don’t understand what they were trying to achieve,” said one attendee after the panel had concluded. “Its so bizarre, are you telling me to stop investing in…good things?” the attendee questioned.

Others just regretted not being there for the drama. “Now I wish I had gone to that panel instead of taking meetings,” said one.