In charge of the US for the next four years will be a politician who has continually undermined international and national climate action. During his previous term, Trump withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement and sought to dismantle more than 100 pieces of policy concerning climate and environmental protection, as part of a pro-business push for deregulation.

This time around, Trump has stated that he wants his signature on some 200 executive actions, and in early January he withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement, marking the second time his administration has removed the nation from the global climate pact.

During Trump’s first presidency, more than 3,800 policymakers covering all 50 states joined the ‘We Are Still In’ coalition, reaffirming their commitment to the Paris Agreement with or without federal government support. 10 states were fully committed to the initiative, which also convened more than 280 cities and counties and more than 2200 businesses.

NGOs such as 350.org and Friends of the Earth have stated that their networks will continue to organise to create a groundswell of local action on decarbonisation and nature this time around.

At the same time, global frameworks have struggled to mobilise the desired outcomes that would help provide clarity for businesses to strive ahead with climate goals. COP16 in Cali gained widespread coverage as nations attempted to implement a global biodiversity framework last year, but it wasn’t until February 2025 that it was agreed that $200bn would be mobilised annually by 2030 to protect ecosystems.

Additionally, what was intended to be the final round of negotiations on the UN-convened Plastics Treaty concluded in December with no formal decision, meaning that the binding agreement won't be delivered until later this year.

Instability and inaction will not help sustainability prosper and it is no surprise that it ranks as the biggest macro-challenge facing corporates. In total, 36% cited it as the major challenge, with climate disinformation coming in second with 14%

Disinformation is not unique to the US political landscape. In March 2025, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch announced plans to drop the party’s commitment to net-zero by 2050, calling it “impossible” to achieve and “catastrophic” for the UK economy.

While this sentiment was rightly criticised by green groups, it adds to the growing discourse in some political spheres within the UK that net-zero is a burden, rather than an opportunity.

The truth is the opposite.

Recent research found that the UK’s net-zero sector is growing three times faster than the overall UK economy, generating £83.1bn in gross value added (GVA) in 2024. Experts argue that stalling net-zero in the UK would be ‘indisputably costlier than action’. The Government’s own climate advisory body, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), has stated that a well-managed transition could be delivered with 1% of GDP or less.

When it comes to the business response to this swelling political misinformation, it is best to articulate the facts. Globally, it is impossible to ignore the rapidly-falling unit costs of solar and wind. And, given that nations representing more than 90% of global GDP now have net-zero targets (technically still intact all while the US’s UN spending is covered by Bloomberg Philanthropies) the economics of scale will continue to improve.

This is not to mention that a vision to treble the world’s renewable energy generation capacity by 2030 now being shared by some 120 nations. In the UK, workers involved in net-zero sectors increased 10% year on year. The direction of travel is clear, and Climate Transition Plans, investments into renewables and energy efficiency solutions, and showcasing your organisation’s value to investors through disclosure will only strengthen your position.

Thankfully, 2025 has started with a renewed sense of optimism for sustainability practitioners. Throughout 2024, we asked our readers to rate their approach to ESG out of 10. The average weighted score across four additions of the Sustainable Business Tracker was 6.74.

In 2025 so far, the average respondent score in terms of their level of ambition on sustainability currently sits at 7.65. Whether this level of optimism continues may well depend on the ability to chart a course to a sustainable future without the guidance of clear and ambitious policies.