What is the triangle of inaction? (also known as the spiral of inaciton)

The triangle of inaction was conceptualised and formalised by a Frenchmen, Pierre Peyretou, a low-carbon economy specialist and affiliate professor at the French Business School, École supérieure de commerce in Paris (ESCP). His concise, easy-to-read diagram quickly gained popularity for explicitly presenting how taking responsibility in the face of the climate emergency is being avoided in practice.

The triangle of inaction, therefore, shows how the main societal actors pass the buck to each other when it comes to taking action in the fight against climate change, with this resulting … in us all failing to act. At each corner of the triangle is an actor, and on the sides of the triangle are reasons why each actor considers it incumbent on the other two to act. The tragedy is that
everyone blames each other, with ultimately nobody taking action or at least not enough, diminishing the chances of mitigating the climate crisis.

The triangle of inaction is avoidable. This is proven by the number of people, companies, and elected representatives already actively involved in the transition to sustainability.There are more and more individual and collective initiatives.

When, despite this, the triangle of inaction sets in, there is good news: those advocating the transition to sustainability emphasise there are strategies for thwarting it. 

Let's take stock. In practice, it is first about providing a reminder of the reality of climate change so everyone is aware of what is at stake. There is no shortage of data on this issue. We can, for example, highlight that average temperatures have already risen by +1°C in the 20th Century in France; that the average increase in the global temperature has already reached 1.19°C over the course of the last ten years; or even that 2023 was the warmest year ever recorded on the planet.

We can also point out, and this is key, that we still hold all the cards to really limit the damage. In short, there is still time to do something.

This is a prerequisite if we want to break up the triangle of inaction's dynamics. The idea is to imagine yourself at the other corners of the triangle to understand the other's line of reasoning and subsequently deconstruct the sterile opposition that blocks everything. This is a practical first step, immersing yourself in the other person's situation (their environment, goals, interests, fears, financial constraints, etc.), making each actor aware of the process leading to inaction.

Climate inaction has a clearly identified dreaded enemy: Education. Knowledge sharing is, therefore, the most effective remedy to break up this well-known triangle.Discover the life cycle of goods we manufacture or buy, know what impact our mobility and diet have, and understand the origin of the CO2 emissions generated by our clothes or smartphones, … there is a lot to learn. So, the goal is to inform, unpack, explain, report, illustrate, etc, to make taking action seem more accessible and easier.To achieve this, knowledge must reach everyone, warns the transition specialists, and this is a real challenge. City and suburban inhabitants; young and less young; national and local elected representatives; the head of large companies, Small Business managers and self-employed tradesperson; logistics hubs and human resources; institutions and voluntary organisations… It is about getting the whole world and society on board thanks to information, training and support.

Climate inaction has a clearly identified dreaded enemy: Education. Knowledge sharing is, therefore, the most effective remedy to break up this well-known triangle.Discover the life cycle of goods that we manufacture or buy, know what impact our mobility and diet have, and understand the origin of the CO2 emissions generated by our clothes or smartphones, … there is a lot to learn.

So, the goal  is to inform, unpack, explain, report, illustrate, etc, to make taking action seem more accessible and easier.To achieve this, knowledge must reach everyone, warns the transition specialists, and this is a real challenge. City and suburban inhabitants; the young and less young; national and local elected representatives; the head of large companies, Small Business managers and self-employed tradesperson; logistics hubs and human resources; institutions and voluntary organisations… It is about getting the whole world and society on board thanks to information, training and support.

Moving beyond inaction has to be done collectively. We, therefore, need to meet up. This is why it is crucial to imagine and nurture forums where the three corners of the triangle can meet up and cooperate. Workshops, collaborative platforms, citizens groups, and professional networks… there are numerous potential formats and mediums. Here are a few examples of forums leading the way on this topic: 

- the Citizen's Climate Assembly
This tool of participatory democracy consists of bringing together a panel of people selected by lottery to learn about and discuss an issue and to put together recommendations in the collective interest. A Citizen's Assembly generally goes through a three-stage process: participants learn about the issue (in this case, on climate change), actively engage (discuss what is at stake and question the actors involved), and collective decision-making (the group provides its opinion(s)). The Citizen's Climate Assembly could be organised at national or local level. In France, several regions have launched such an initiative, including the Grenoble metropolitan area and the Occitanie region.

- Companies' Climate Convention
The Companies' Climate Convention is an organisation founded in 2020 in France to "irresistibly shift from an extractive economy towards a regenerative economy by 2030". Its mission is similar to the Climate Fresk but suitable for a specific audience: business decision makers. In 2024, over 1,000 companies were already committed to the approach.

At the very least, we are all at one of the corners of the triangle, where individuals are positioned. The one that also shifts the responsibility to companies and the State… But, as Carbone 4, an institute with expertise in sustainability transformation, reminds us, individual actions have a decisive impact on the climate. Carbone 4  has even attempted to estimate their fair share in the overall effort needed to save the planet's climate. The verdict is that it could account for 1/4 of this overall effort.  

The remaining 3/4 will need a collective effort to decarbonise the system (industrial, agricultural, energy, etc.). In other words, our personal actions are not enough, but obviously, we won't get there without them.  

What remains to be determined is the impact of the (right) individual actions that actually make a difference in reducing our GHG emissions. A scientific consensus now exists for the most effective solutions. Some are concerned with simple changes in behaviour, while others require an investment that depends on financial means. Here are few of them:

- adopting a vegetable-based diet or with low meat consumption. It is estimated, for example, that switching to a plant-based diet helps to reduce a person's total carbon footprint by close to 10 %;

- buy local, refurbished or secondhand, encourage circular economy;

- limit plane travel;

- invest in your accommodation's thermal renovation;

- prefer sustainable forms of transport ;

- replace your boiler.