CEBRI, in partnership with the Interdisciplinary Observatory on Climate Change (OIMC) and the Climate Social Science Network (CSSN), hosted on August 27 the event Climate Obstruction: A Global Assessment.

The meeting was part of the Rio Climate Action Week and served as a pre-launch of the book of the same name, edited by J. Timmons Roberts, Carlos R. S. Milani, Jennifer Jacquet, and Christian Downie, to be published by Oxford University Press in September 2025.

Timmons Roberts and Jennifer Jacquet presented key aspects of the study, which brings together more than 30 authors across 12 research teams. The book examines obstruction strategies carried out by the fossil fuel, utilities, transportation, and agribusiness sectors, as well as the role of public relations firms and far-right political organizations in spreading climate disinformation.

Subsequently, Carlos Milani, Senior Fellow at CEBRI and Coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Observatory on Climate Change (OIMC), underscored the relevance of the topic and drew attention to the scarcity of research on climate obstruction in the Global South. He noted that in countries such as South Africa, labor unions are closely connected to extractive sectors like mining—a dynamic comparable to the centrality of agribusiness in the formation of the Brazilian state.

Specific chapters were highlighted, such as Chapter Three, “Coal utilities and transportation impede climate action,” which analyzes how coal and transportation industries delay decarbonization; and Chapter Four, “The animal agriculture industry’s role in obstructing climate action,” which shows how agro-industrial systems contribute to slowing mitigation policies, while also offering opportunities for change.

According to the experts, framing the issue as “climate obstruction” conveys the urgency of the problem and helps illuminate the mechanisms that hinder policy advances aligned with scientific consensus.

Comments and Brazilian perspectives
In his remarks, Gabriel Gama, journalist at Folha de São Paulo, observed that in Brazil the discourse most aligned with climate obstruction remains tied to the defense of fossil fuels, still a central challenge for national energy policy.

Andrea Hoffmann, Associate Professor at the Institute of International Relations, PUC-Rio, emphasized the importance of understanding how obstruction also manifests in multilateral arenas and debates on global climate governance.

During the audience Q&A, Arthur Vargas Facini raised the question of whether it is possible to reconcile capitalism with climate action. The question reinforced the breadth of tensions between economic interests and environmental commitments, one of the central dilemmas addressed by the study.

The seminar demonstrated that, as climate action intensifies and globalizes, obstruction efforts are becoming more sophisticated, well-financed, and dangerous. In closing, Milani stressed that a systematic analysis of this phenomenon—particularly in the context of developing countries—is essential for advancing regulation, litigation, and civil society mobilization capable of curbing its effects.

Partners: Interdisciplinary Observatory on Climate Change (OIMC), Climate Social Science Network (CSSN)