Responding to climate gridlock

Despite years of marches, petitions, and direct action, the global climate movement is struggling to turn public concern into the profound, structural change needed to avert catastrophe. New research led by Janquel (Quel) D. Acevedo sheds light on why progress can stall—and what climate advocates themselves think it will take to break through.

In one study published in Political Psychology, Acevedo and colleagues interviewed 28 leaders in the Australian climate movement to explore what they describe as "collective gridlock" – periods in which social change efforts are stuck in antagonistic stalemates and shared goals seem out of reach. Many leaders felt their movement was in gridlock, pointing to insufficient progress toward emissions targets despite mass mobilisation. They described how ongoing failure can potentially fuel attrition, stricter "purity" norms, a hardening of moral convictions, hostility toward opponents, and radicalisation – all of which can make compromise and collaboration more difficult. At the same time, leaders recognised the need to build coalitions and accept strategic compromise, while also highlighting the toll of this gridlock on their own well-being.

A companion paper shifts from diagnosis to solutions, asking those same founders, leaders, experienced advocates, and philanthropists what the climate movement needs to achieve meaningful change amid persistent failure and gridlock. Their answers emphasised both internal and external strategies. Internally, participants called for strengthening the movement through broader diversity, deeper movement, coalition-building, and better resourcing to support well-being, as well as more flexible, adaptive tactics. Externally, they stressed the importance of "speaking truth to power" by confronting state capture and pressing governments to lead; pushing for between-system change in economic systems and social norms; and aligning more closely with nature by respecting the natural world, acknowledging climate disasters in communication, and making climate impacts personally relevant.

Together, these studies offer a rare, inside view of how climate leaders understand long-term stalemates – not as simple failure, but as complex intergroup conflict that shapes emotions, relationships, and strategy. They also point to pathways forward: investing in care and resilience within movements, widening coalitions, and pursuing system change while staying grounded in the realities of a warming world.

For further information, contact Janquel Acevedo ([email protected]) or Winnifred Louis ([email protected]).

Acevedo, J. D., Disney, A., Fielding, K. S., Amiot, C. E., Hornsey, M. J., Moghaddam, F. M., Thomas, E. F., Sutherland, S., Wibisono, S., & Louis, W. R. (2025). Overcoming climate gridlock: Perspectives of climate leaders on how to achieve social change during persistent failure in Australia. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 35(2), e70073.

Acevedo, J. D., Disney, A., Fielding, K., Amiot, C. E., Hornsey, M. J., Moghaddam, F. M., Thomas, E. F., Wibisono, S., Sutherland, S., & Louis, W. R. (2025). How leading climate movement advocates perceive collective gridlock in social change advocacy. Political Psychology. Published online. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.70100 

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Media release prepared for Quel's first two PhD papers - woot! All feedback is welcome.