Corporate climate action in the United States has accelerated over the past decade. However, many companies have yet to include climate action as a central tenet of their government affairs agenda. This working paper identifies seven barriers that can stall corporations in the US from advocating for climate policy at the federal level, so that companies can break them down and embrace climate advocacy.
The seven barriers, divided into three categories - organization and strategy, intermediaries and policy context - all pose challenges in climate policy action. In addition to obstacles in overall management and reporting strategies, executive management's lack of clear communication with key decision-makers deters the prioritizing of interests, policies and resources. It is also difficult for businesses in trade associations to reach common, and more importantly long-term interests, as lobbying for climate action may imply certain risks.
To accelerate the US's efforts to green their operations, corporations are called to address these barriers and strengthen C-suite leadership in initiating sustainability goals and shifting lobbying practices. Proper government-imposed policies and market signals will need to be enacted through collaborative and long-term planning.