No More Excuses

Empowering UK Business Leaders to Take Climate and Social Action

Every week brings more evidence that the world is in trouble.
Record temperatures. Deepening inequality. Disrupted ecosystems. Stalled progress.

We know.

• 2023 was the hottest year on record – and 2024 is on track to break it again.
• More than 1 in 3 UK children now live in poverty; that’s over 4 million.
• Over 5 million people die each year from climate-related extremes. (The Lancet, 2021)
• And still, 90% of executives believe sustainability is important, yet only 60% have a clear strategy. (MIT Sloan, 2023)

We knew.
But what did we do?

The danger of excuses

I get it. I’ve made them too:

“It’s not the right time.”
“We’re too small to make a difference.”
“Let’s get the basics right first.”

“We’ll revisit this in Q4.”
“It’s not a priority for our board.”
“We don’t want to get political.”

But here’s the truth: excuses protect the status quo.
And the status quo is costing us everything.

We’re not lacking knowledge. We’re lacking action, courage, and leadership.

From real excuse → better question

We don’t need to shame ourselves.
But we do need to call out the stories we tell that keep us stuck, and ask better questions.

🔴 “We’re too small to make a difference.”
🟢 “What small action could we take this week that aligns with our values?”

🔴 “We can’t afford to change right now.”
🟢 “What is the long-term cost of doing nothing?”

🔴 “We don’t want to get political.”
🟢 “What kind of world do we want to help shape, and what’s stopping us?”

Why this matters

Because the truth is, future generations won’t remember what we meant to do.
They’ll remember what we actually did.

As Martin Luther King Jr. said:

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

Now is the time to speak up. To step forward. To show what good business leadership really looks like.

💡 Tools to help you take action right now

Let’s turn courage into action. Here are three ways to begin:

🎥 Watch:

#ClimateScam? – Cornwall Climate Care
A 40-minute documentary exploring the rise of climate misinformation and its impact on public perception and action. Join young presenter Jaz as she investigates various conspiracy theories and seeks to understand their origins and the threats they pose to addressing climate change effectively. This may be especially helpful if you have people in your business or networks who still don’t understand or accept the need for urgent action to address climate change.

📖 Read:

The Good Ancestor by Roman Krznaric
A must-read for any business leader who wants to shift from short-term thinking to long-term impact. Essential and empowering. This had a huge impact on me and I have recommended it widely. Learn more from Roman and buy the book here.

✅ Use:

Free Materiality Assessment Guide for SMEs 
Cut through the noise. Clarify what really matters to your business, your stakeholders, and the world.
Our recently published guide will help you focus on the issues that count, and take meaningful action.

Download our free guide here.

No more silence. No more excuses.

If you knew…
What will you do this week?

💬 I’d love to know:

What’s the most common excuse you hear in your business or network, and what better question could replace it?

Let’s gather and share the real conversations that will move us forward.