{"id":11860,"date":"2026-01-23T16:41:45","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T15:41:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/?p=11860"},"modified":"2026-01-23T16:41:45","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T15:41:45","slug":"climate-denial-is-advancing-within-companies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rivistaeco.com\/en\/2026\/01\/23\/climate-denial-is-advancing-within-companies\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate Denial Is Advancing Within Companies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite increasingly devastating weather events and ever more precise data on who produces emissions and in what quantities, climate denial has not disappeared\u2014it has merely changed form. After attacking science and downplaying the responsibility of economic activities, it now focuses on the alleged excessive costs of the transition and on an individualistic ethic that obstructs change. Yet many companies continue to invest in low-carbon technologies and adopt less polluting production methods. Some act openly, others quietly. There are, however, also firms that remain inactive or reverse course. A new map of managerial strategies shows how language, politics, and uncertainty are reshaping the way companies interpret the ecological transition\u2014and why inertia risks proving very costly, undermining the competitiveness of European industries.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We know that words do not merely describe the world: they shape it. We also know that language is one of the foundations of social reality. Through words, we determine what is true, what deserves attention, and what matters at a given historical moment or in a specific place.<\/p>\n

Over the past thirty years, climate denial has become a genuine cultural and political strategy: it manipulates scientific data, sows uncertainty, and constructs an alternative reality that serves particular interests and preserves the status quo. In this rift between language and reality, between truth and symbolic construction, scientific evidence becomes opinion, responsibility dissolves, and the climate crisis is portrayed as an anti-industrial ideology or an enemy of progress.<\/p>\n

The Three Phases of Climate Denial<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Climate denial has repeatedly changed its guise. The first wave attacked science itself, but the accumulation of data and the acceleration of extreme events have made this position increasingly indefensible. Between 2024 and 2025 alone, we recorded record temperatures and heat waves whose intensity has been amplified by anthropogenic warming, as scientists confirm: the climate does not \u201cwait\u201d for our political debates.<\/p>\n

Once the \u201cepistemic\u201d challenge was exhausted, the second wave shifted its focus to responsibility: it is not (really) fossil fuels, deforestation is not (that) relevant, emissions from economic activities do not (really) matter. This front, too, collapsed as studies on emissions and their attribution became more precise and traceable.<\/p>\n

Today, the third wave of denial\u2014or rather, of green backlash\u2014focuses on two arguments: economics (\u201cthe transition costs too much\u201d) and an alleged individualistic ethic (\u201cno one can be asked to change for the benefit of others or of future generations\u201d).<\/p>\n

On the first point, however, the data tell a different story. In 2024, 91% of new renewable installations worldwide generated electricity at a lower cost than the cheapest fossil source, while progress in renewable energy storage is reshaping market dynamics.<\/p>\n

Electric mobility\u2014often cited as an example of \u201cexcessive cost\u201d\u2014also continues to grow: in 2025, global electric vehicle sales are expected to exceed 20 million units, more than a quarter of the global market, and prices are becoming increasingly affordable.<\/p>\n

This does not mean that the transition is proceeding without obstacles. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has revised downward by 5% its forecasts for new renewable installations through 2030, partly due to political and regulatory frictions in some regions.<\/p>\n

Falling costs and rising co-benefits\u2014cleaner air, greater energy security, lower fuel volatility\u2014also downscale the supposed \u201cethical\u201d dimension of the debate. The transition is not about sacrificing oneself for a distant good, but about updating infrastructure and consumption habits to reduce immediate and future risks and improve quality of life.<\/p>\n

Companies That Uphold Their Transition Commitments<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Yet despite the evidence, climate denial is growing in Europe. This is reflected in farmers\u2019 protests and debates over revising the Green Deal, fueled by fears about transition costs, sectoral conflicts, and resistance from traditional technologies. But while denialist rhetoric strengthens, many economic actors have not abandoned the ecological transition. In some cases, they have even reinforced their commitments, or chosen to continue investing quietly.<\/p>\n

Recent studies show that many companies have not retreated in the face of political and institutional climate skepticism. On the contrary, most recognize that sustainability has become a structural factor of competitiveness and that the economic case for investing in this direction is stronger today than it was a few years ago. What seems to be changing is how they act: less rhetoric and more focus on concrete operations\u2014emissions reduction, supply chain transformation, risk management. In other words, more managerial realism and less storytelling, more production-process transformation and fewer slogans.<\/p>\n

Not all companies, however, are moving in this direction. Media and social networks regularly document the behavior of those who step away from green issues: some abandon planned renewable investments, others leave decarbonization coalitions, scale back \u201cnet-zero\u201d targets, or exit ESG funds that integrate environmental, social, and governance criteria into investment selection. Some of these firms have gained prominence by openly opposing the Green Deal, denouncing bureaucratic complexity or employment risks, or returning to skeptical positions regarding real climate threats.<\/p>\n

Four Corporate Voices<\/strong><\/h3>\n

To interpret the different strategies and tactics at play, we propose an analytical framework that crosses two dimensions: on the one hand, the level of public activism\u2014how strongly a company makes its voice heard; on the other, the level of operational action\u2014how consistently and pragmatically it advances decarbonization through investments and measurable initiatives. From this combination, four behavioral types emerge.<\/p>\n

Activist Companies<\/strong><\/p>\n

These firms continue to embrace the ecological transition to build competitive advantage. They are genuine \u201cactivists\u201d: they intervene in public debate, for example opposing the weakening of European regulations, while confirming or strengthening sustainability investments. A significant share of their revenues comes from green products and services, and they have no intention of backtracking. They have launched decarbonization plans and linked managerial incentives to ESG results.<\/p>\n

Quiet Executors<\/strong><\/p>\n

These companies continue to pursue their climate strategies quietly, effectively separating action from narrative. Language changes: fewer references to ESG, more emphasis on resilience, transition, and risk. Media and social exposure declines, but investments and sustainable innovation continue. In governance, these firms maintain incentives linked to green objectives, while limiting external communication.<\/p>\n

Paralyzed Companies<\/strong><\/p>\n

This group is driven by a wait-and-see logic. These firms remain inactive, waiting for new regulations and adopting a compliance-only approach. They freeze planned initiatives until uncertainty diminishes: postponing green investments, suspending projects, failing to update climate targets, developing no new product or service strategies, and not introducing ESG accounting and reporting systems.<\/p>\n

Rollbackers<\/strong><\/p>\n

These firms have returned to visibility in media and social networks through highly visible initiatives. They have abandoned climate alliances, sent letters to institutions calling for the repeal of green regulations or decarbonization commitments, and renounced transparency. They have launched a counter-mobilization against the transition, building a narrative around excessive costs, loss of competitiveness, and the need to redefine priorities in a complex geopolitical context. They have redirected investments toward traditional business and fossil fuels, abandoning projects aimed at developing more sustainable alternatives.<\/p>\n

What Governments Must Do<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It is clear that climate denial, in its many forms, remains one of the main forces disorienting our socio-economic system. It no longer merely challenges science; it undermines collective trust in the possibility of achieving the necessary change to address the ecological crisis and even influences corporate behavior.<\/p>\n

For many companies, embracing\u2014explicitly or implicitly\u2014denialist arguments may seem rational in the short term: it protects rent-seeking positions, reduces reputational risks, or postpones costly investments. In the long term, however, this choice becomes dangerous. The spread of low-emission technologies, investor pressure, and evolving consumer preferences risk rapidly devaluing skills and production models linked to fossil fuels. Inertia can thus translate into rising costs and loss of competitiveness. If the green backlash consolidates, it could further weaken our industrial system.<\/p>\n

In this scenario, governments play a decisive role. It is not enough to set credible long-term climate targets or support clean industrial innovation. It is also necessary to design fair transition tools capable of mitigating social and sectoral impacts, accompanying workers and supply chains through reskilling and reconversion paths. Transparent and stable rules reduce uncertainty and allow companies to plan the multi-year investments required, demonstrating that the green transition is not a rhetorical exercise but a concrete industrial process capable of generating value and strengthening economic and social resilience.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Valentina Bosetti is Professor of Environmental and Climate Change Economics at Bocconi University and Senior Scientist at the RFF-CMCC European Institute on Economics and the Environment. She also served as Lead Author for the Fifth and Sixth Assessment Reports of the IPCC.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Stefano Pogutz is Professor of Practice in Corporate Sustainability at SDA Bocconi School of Management, where he is Director of the Full-Time MBA. His research focuses on corporate innovation and sustainability, climate strategies, circularity and biodiversity, ecosystem services, and ocean protection.<\/em><\/p>\n

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