The Rise of Corporate “Green Hesitancy” and “Green Hushing”

Abstract

Thousands of multinational corporations have set ambitious environmental goals and implementation plans to reduce their environmental impacts. Yet analysis paralysis and fear of rebuke for missteps and insufficiency have begun impeding voluntary environmental action across corporate value chains. Corporate environmental action has become like a game of Frogger, where inaction and silence has become safer than taking a step forward to reduce emissions or environmental impacts. There is an opportunity for environmental nonprofits to tackle this commonly discussed yet underreported and veiled issue. With new incentives, user-specific solutions, and new ways to make money from environmental regeneration, environmental nonprofits can better convert corporate environmental action from the game of Frogger to simply the way that corporations do business.