Why aren’t humans urgently addressing the climate crisis? We ask ChattyG

1. Lack of Awareness: Many people may not fully understand the gravity of the climate crisis, its immediate impacts, or its long-term consequences. Raising awareness and educating the public about climate change is crucial to drive action.
2. Economic Interests: Fossil fuel industries and other sectors heavily invested in the status quo often resist change because transitioning to more sustainable practices can be economically challenging in the short term. This economic inertia can slow down progress.
3. Political Obstacles: Climate policies can be highly divisive, with political leaders sometimes prioritising short-term interests or re-election campaigns over long-term environmental concerns. In some cases, climate denial or skepticism has played a role in delaying action.
4. Global Coordination: Climate change is a global issue that requires international cooperation. Negotiating and implementing effective global agreements, such as the Paris Agreement, can be slow and challenging due to differing national interests.
5. Psychological Distance: Some people perceive climate change as a distant or abstract issue, believing it won’t significantly affect them personally. This psychological distance can lead to inaction.
6. Inequality: Vulnerable communities often bear the brunt of climate change’s effects, while those with more resources may feel less urgency to act. Addressing social and economic inequalities is intertwined with addressing the climate crisis.
7. Technological and Infrastructural Challenges: Transitioning to renewable energy and sustainable practices often requires significant technological advancements and infrastructure changes, which can be time-consuming and costly.
8. Human Nature: Humans are generally resistant to change, especially when it disrupts established habits and lifestyles. People may resist adopting more sustainable behaviours due to comfort, convenience, or inertia.
9. Short-Term Focus: Many decision-makers prioritize short-term gains over long-term benefits. However, addressing climate change requires a long-term perspective that values sustainability over immediate profit.
10. Complexity: Climate change is a highly complex issue with interconnected causes and consequences. Finding effective solutions requires navigating this complexity and implementing a wide range of policies and actions.

It’s essential to recognize that progress is being made, and there are efforts at various levels to address the climate crisis. However, the urgency of the issue calls for accelerated action, increased public awareness, political will, and widespread cooperation on a global scale. Overcoming these challenges and acting swiftly to mitigate and adapt to climate change remains one of humanity’s greatest collective tests.

I think ChattyG’s final pragmatic paragraph is a lovely way to end… it offers some hope: “It’s essential to recognize that progress is being made…” Yes. There are a lot of very determined people with brilliant minds who are working hard on this issue (sadly, few of them are politicians). Progress is being made and it is gaining momentum.

ChattyG also calls out the need for “widespread co-operation on a global scale”. This is the very reason I am a champion of the B Corp movement. B Corp is a global community of businesses that are seeking to transform our global economic system to one that values people and planet in equal measure to profit. Certified B Corps have made a commitment to no longer sacrifice people and planet for the sake of financial profit. Happily, they’re usually much more profitable for doing so, proving that true prosperity is when everybody wins – not just the one per cent.

The quicker we have a collective mindset shift on the real meaning of ‘success’ and redefine our ideas on this, the quicker we can harness the power, creativity, and innovation of the business sector to work on solving the climate crisis, rather than driving it.