Unveiling the Hidden Blocks: A Review of Climate Obstruction: A Global Assessment

Why our journey toward bold Climate and Ecological transformation is being delayed—and how we can reclaim it.

Introduction
At Climate Change Community LLC, our mission revolves around cultivating robust Adaptive Resiliency to meet the mounting urgency of our Climate and Ecological emergency. It’s vital that we understand not only what solutions we must deploy, but equally what forces are obstructing those solutions. The newly released book Climate Obstruction: A Global Assessment offers a compelling and comprehensive exploration of exactly those blocking forces. I’ll be ordering this book right away—and in this post, I want to walk you through why this volume matters, what it uncovers, and how it strengthens our collective effort for bold action.

What this book is and why it matters
Climate Obstruction: A Global Assessment is published by Oxford University Press in October 2025. Skeptical Science+3Better World Books+3Oxford University Press+3 It is the culmination of work by more than 100 scholars, affiliated with the Climate Social Science Network (CSSN) at Brown University, who together map the global landscape of obstruction to meaningful climate policy and action. Brown Climate Social Science Network+1

This book matters because it shifts the narrative from “we didn’t succeed” to “we were obstructed” — and that distinction is critical when we build our Adaptive Resiliency strategies. By identifying who is blocking action, how they are doing it, and where, we are better equipped to respond with integrity and framed purpose.

Scope and structure of the chapters
The book opens with an introduction by the editors (J. Timmons Roberts, Carlos R. S. Milani, Jennifer Jacquet, and Christian Downie) and then presents twelve major chapters each focused on a different domain of obstruction: for example the oil and gas industry’s global role, coal/utilities/transportation, animal-agriculture, right/far-right political forces, news and PR-industries, obstructions in the Global South, subnational levels, the UN/UNFCCC/Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, legal and state efforts, and civil-society/non-state actor roles. Skeptical Science

A few details worth highlighting:

Chapter 7 (by Dominik A. Stecula & John Cook) titled “Understanding the Political and Psychological Roots of Climate Misinformation and Its Impact on Public Opinion” deeply explores how decades of deliberate disinformation campaigns, funded by fossil-fuel interests, foster public confusion and delay. Skeptical Science+1
The book emphasizes that obstruction is not simply denial of climate science—it often takes the form of delay, distraction, sub-optimal “solutions”, and shifting responsibility rather than bold structural change. For instance, techniques described include “Fake experts”, “Logical fallacies”, “Impossible expectations”, “Cherry-picking”, and “Conspiracy theories”. Skeptical Science
The full range of chapters examines geographic variation (Global North, Global South), institutional levels (national, sub-national, international), and sectors (fossil fuels, agriculture, media, civil society) — providing a panoramic view of obstruction, not simply isolated case-studies. Brown Climate Social Science Network+1

Key findings and insights
Here are some of the salient take-aways that I found particularly striking — and that will power our Climate Tribe’s work:

Obstruction is structural, systemic and well-resourced.
The book makes clear that it’s not just a few bad actors; numerous industries and institutional networks leverage power, messaging, and money to slow or block meaningful climate policy. For example, the oil and gas sector is portrayed as a core global actor in climate delay and denial. Skeptical Science
Misinformation is not fringe—it is mainstreamed.
The psychological chapter reveals that years of targeted campaigns have successfully shaped public perceptions and discourse. People may believe they are acting rationally, when in fact they are echoing narratives designed to obstruct. Skeptical Science+1
Delay is as harmful as denial.
A key point: obstruction often occurs not by outright denial of climate science, but by promoting half-measures, “transition fuel” narratives, offsets, and incremental policies that effectively push decisive action into the future. The book shows that these tactics lock in emissions and postpone real transformation. Brown Climate Social Science Network+1
Subnational and global layers matter.
The book doesn’t just look at national governments—it also examines municipalities, international institutions, agricultural sectors, and regional blocs. This multi-layer view reinforces the idea that our Adaptive Resiliency focus must operate across scales: local, national, global.
We are not powerless—we can respond.
While the book documents blockage, it also frames pathways. Its concluding chapter outlines lessons for policy, for civil society, and for research. That means this volume is not only a diagnostic tool but a launching pad for action. Brown Climate Social Science Network+1

Why this matters for our work with the Climate Tribe
As the founder of Climate Change Community LLC, and the steward of our Climate Tribe, I see several direct implications:

Enhancing narrative clarity: Knowing the tactics of obstruction helps us craft messages that cut through confusion and mobilize people anchored in truth and urgency. For instance, when we speak about Adaptive Resiliency, we must not only define it, but outline how obstruction undermines it—and how our tribe rises above that.
Targeting strategy: Many climate-communication efforts stall because they focus on what we must do (reduce emissions, switch to renewables) without investiging who and how we are blocked. This book teaches us to ask: Who is preventing progress in this sector? What levers of influence are they using? Where can our intervention be most strategic?
Solidifying coalition work: The volume underscores that obstruction is not singular—it involves industries, governments, media institutions, think-tanks, and civil society. Our Climate Tribe must therefore be collaborative, cross-disciplinary, and inclusive of voices that can penetrate multiple layers of society.
Urgency reaffirmed: The book’s deeper insight is that delay is itself a form of harm. Time lost now is regret lated later. In building Adaptive Resiliency, we cannot afford to wait or act halfway. We must act boldly, intentionally, and with intelligence.

A few illustrative stories from the book
While I won’t spoil the entire book, I want to share a couple of compelling narrative threads:

In the chapter on media, advertising and PR (Steering the Climate Discourse), the authors show how legacy news organizations and social media campaigns often amplify voices that appear “balanced” but in fact perpetuate delay by emphasizing uncertainty or highlighting token actions as if they solved the problem. Skeptical Science
The chapter on the animal agriculture industry’s role in obstructing climate action draws attention to how emissions from livestock and feed are often decoupled from broader climate policy. By framing changes in diet or land-use as too controversial or too difficult, obstruction moves into territory where action becomes easier to defer. Skeptical Science

These examples help us see how obstruction is subtle—not always loud denial, but often practiced through normal business-as-usual narratives, policy sidesteps, and token transitions.

How we’ll leverage this book in our journey
Here are three practical steps we will take—with the insights from this book—to deepen our tribe’s impact:

Book-Club + Action-Mapping: We’ll organize a reading session of Climate Obstruction: A Global Assessment among our Climate Tribe members. Each chapter will be accompanied by an “action-mapping” exercise—identifying in our region/local context who the obstructors might be, what tactics they use, and how our Adaptive Resiliency strategy can counter them.
Communication Framework Refresh: Using the book’s insights on misinformation and delay tactics, we’ll refine our messaging template to ensure we recognize obstruction playbooks (fake experts, cherrypicking, impossible expectations) and proactively anticipate them. This will help our outreach to be more incisive and credible.
Adaptive Resiliency Strategy Update: We’ll weave in the dual narrative: (a) what we must build (resilient communities, regenerative systems, participatory governance) and (b) what we must unblock (policy hurdles, industry capture, narrative delay). By naming the obstruction explicitly, we strengthen our case for urgency and invite aligned partners who want to shift blockages as well as build solutions.

Conclusion
In a moment where our planet’s systems are under strain and humanity’s ability to respond is hindered by powerful forces of inertia, the release of Climate Obstruction: A Global Assessment is nothing short of timely. It gives us a lens to see the obstacle, not just the opportunity.

To the team at Climate Change Community LLC and our broader Climate Tribe: Let’s embrace this book as a tool—an intel asset—as much as a text. We will order our copy, study it, discuss it, and convert its findings into an integrated plan of action. Our mission—to build Adaptive Resiliency in the face of the Climate and Ecological emergency—demands no less. We are not merely participants in this era of transformation, we are architects of it.

Author: Climate Change Community (on behalf of our community)
Date: October 23, 2025