5 major barriers to climate action (And how to eliminate them)
You know the numbers. You’ve read the IPCC reports. You see your competitors making commitments. And yet, your leadership team is still gripped by hesitation. Why? Because the block isn’t rational—it’s psychological, structural, and strategic. The issue isn’t a lack of data: it’s a mindset problem.
False beliefs, ingrained routines, short-term decision-making, and outdated governance… these are the real enemies of climate action. If you truly want to move forward—and avoid waking up too late—you need to understand these roadblocks and start dismantling them, one by one.
Cross-analysis of
“The Boardroom Mindset Blocking Climate Action” by Jaap Winter, INSEAD Knowledge mach 2025 ; “The Dragons of Inaction: Psychological Barriers That Limit Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation” by Robert Gifford (American Psychologist 2011) ; “Explaining and overcoming barriers to climate change adaptation” by Klaus Eisenack and al. (Nature Climate Change 2014) ; and “The Perils of Explaining Climate Inaction in Terms of Psychological Barriers” by Michael T. Schmitt and al. (Journal of Social Issues 2019)
1. The trap of instant decision-making
(From short-term thinking to genuine leadership)
The problem: You’re managing the climate transition as though it was a regulatory or financial risk, when it should be a strategic lever. Too often, decisions are driven by short-term goals: minimizing risk and maximizing immediate profit. And your approach is reactive:
- When faced with environmental regulations, you look for the cheapest way to comply.
- When dealing with investors, your focus is on protecting short-term returns.
- When new market trends emerge, you adjust your offer slowly instead of anticipating the shift.
The result: You’re optimizing within an existing framework instead of redefining it.
The solution: Shift the level of decision-making: focus on who you want to be, not just what you need to do. Shift away from a reactive mindset and start by asking the fundamental question: “Who do we want to be?” before jumping to “What do we need to do?”
This is what Jaap Winter1 calls a shift in the level of choice.
- Reactive level: “What’s the risk if we don’t act?”
- Strategic level: “What is our mission in addressing the climate crisis?”
In other words, stop trying to minimize risk or fine-tune a response to climate change. Instead, start embedding the issue into your company’s core principles and strategic choices.
How do you make that shift in decision-making? Don’t wait to act!
- Rethink your company’s purpose. Climate action shouldn’t be a side issue: it needs to be a cornerstone of your identity and strategy.
- Break free from short-term financial thinking: Focus on values and long-term impact, not just short-term ROI.
- Foster open strategic dialogue: Create space for real conversations not just about trade-offs and constraints, but about vision, ambition, and your social responsibility.
- Shift from compliance to innovation: Don’t wait for new regulations—get ahead of them and set the new standards yourself.
Question for your team: Do we simply want to follow regulations, or do we want to be the architects of change?
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[1] « The Boardroom Mindset Blocking Climate Action » de Jaap Winter, INSEAD Knowledge mars 2025
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