{"id":9756,"date":"2025-06-25T14:55:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T14:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/?post_type=insight&p=9756"},"modified":"2025-08-11T14:59:35","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T14:59:35","slug":"dont-tell-me-climate-action-isnt-happening","status":"publish","type":"insight","link":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/dont-tell-me-climate-action-isnt-happening\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Tell Me Climate Action Isn\u2019t Happening"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cDon\u2019t tell me climate action isn\u2019t happening\u201d is the rallying cry of this year\u2019s London Climate Action Week. It\u2019s a core message for keynote speakers,  it\u2019s appearing in socials, in the press, and can be spotted around London on billboards at Picadilly Circus, Westfield, and Hammersmith Broadway. It\u2019s the rallying cry of a narrative we\u2019re proud to have created with E3G, informed by the insights from conversations with numerous climate leaders in business, government, NGOs and civil society.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Don\u2019t tell me climate action isn\u2019t happening\u2019 represents a push back against a political rhetoric that climate action is stalling. It works because it reflects the trust of what most people, politicians, companies, and investors think, and can see happening all around them. The transition is underway and scaling fast, for example global investment in clean energy technologies and infrastructure is expected to reach $2 trillion in 2024<\/a>, nearly double the amount allocated to fossil fuels, while here in the UK, emissions have halved<\/a> since 1990.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This momentum can be seen at this year\u2019s London Climate Action Week. Thousands of people across 700 events are coming together in the biggest iteration of the event yet, showcasing progress being made in boardrooms, investment houses, governments, and in communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working out how to effectively communicate that progress and what needs to happen next is hard. The external context has changed and we\u2019ve entered a negative narrative cycle on climate. The response has been to communicate less, double down on the business case, and dispense with mentions of the existential problem, which threatens the foundations of health, safety and prosperity for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of that reaction is fair \u2013 people don\u2019t dream in carbon and conceptual solutions like net zero<\/em> and 1.5 degrees<\/em> feel abstract. But communicating only parts of an argument when the problem is so big and the solutions so numerous and connected, won\u2019t work. Refusing to talk about the problem will only serve to erode social licence and political capital for action. No one ever won an argument they didn\u2019t make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, whilst a noisy minority are working to stall action, the public and the real economy still overwhelmingly back climate action. In the UK, 80% of people<\/a> say are very or fairly concerned about climate change, 74% of Americans<\/a> believe the U.S. government should limit greenhouse gas emissions from businesses, whilst a survey published yesterday from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development shows 96% of business leaders<\/a> believe governments should stay committed to achieving net zero emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n