Abstract
Efforts to address climate change have overall been inadequate because they have been undertaken without an understanding of the oppositional groups determined to protect the world’s fossil fuel–dependent status quo. This introductory chapter summarizes the thirteen main chapters of the edited volume Climate Obstruction: A Global Assessment. It offers ten major findings, including that climate obstruction extends far beyond the oil and gas industries to utilities and trade organizations, think tanks, public relations firms, and governments, and that denial of climate science has been overtaken by attacks on scientists and solutions such as renewable energy. The chapter identifies research gaps, including the roles of banks, law firms, universities, unions, religious organizations, and the military in obstructing climate action. It ends with examples of actions diverse groups are taking against climate obstruction, including journalists, policymakers, civil society organizations, academics, lawyers, and businesspeople.