Seven Barriers to U.S. Business Leadership on Climate Policy and How to Break Them Down

The document argues that voluntary corporate climate action is insufficient and that U.S. businesses must transition to active climate policy advocacy to meet 1.5C goals. It details seven specific barriers—ranging from internal organizational silos and short-term financial pressures to external pressures from trade associations and political instability—that hinder Fortune 500 companies from aligning their government affairs agendas with their sustainability goals.

• Voluntary corporate actions are insufficient to achieve a 1.5C pathway; public policy is required because emissions sources exist outside private industry and many corporate commitments depend on government action.
• U.S. companies face seven primary barriers to climate policy advocacy: internal organizational misalignment (Org Chart), prioritizing other issues (Competing Priorities), a lack of climate expertise (Knowledge Gap), the pressure of short-term financial reporting (Quarterly Reports), the influence of fossil fuel-aligned trade associations (Trade Associations), fear of stakeholder backlash (Backlash), and a historical lack of federal climate legislation (Political Winds).
• Corporate climate leadership is incomplete without policy leadership, as some companies have historically obstructed progress through direct lobbying or by funding trade associations and think tanks.
• C-suite leadership is critical to overcoming these barriers by ensuring climate objectives are integrated across all staff and by forming partnerships with peer companies and nongovernmental organizations.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Seven Barriers to U.S. Business Leadership on Climate Policy and How to Break Them Down. https://www.wri.org/research/barriers-to-us-business-leadership-on-climate

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Seven Barriers to U.S. Business Leadership on Climate Policy and How to Break Them Down. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/barriers-to-us-business-leadership-on-climate.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Seven Barriers to U.S. Business Leadership on Climate Policy and How to Break Them Down |url=https://www.wri.org/research/barriers-to-us-business-leadership-on-climate |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendseven, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Seven Barriers to U.S. Business Leadership on Climate Policy and How to Break Them Down}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/barriers-to-us-business-leadership-on-climate}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }