Escalation of commitment to fossil fuels

The use of fossil fuels has been a great boon to human civilization. However, given the issue of climate change, it has become clear that this is a time-limited strategy and that we will at some point need to severely curtail, and perhaps ultimately eliminate, this strategy of meeting our energy needs. Given this long-term perspective, the authors argue that continued public investment in fossil fuel industries and infrastructures reflects escalation of commitment, continued investment in a failing strategy. In this context, this paper reviews the research on escalation of commitment and factors that encourage de-escalation, highlighting strategies that citizens can use to encourage politicians and public administrators to protect long-term civic well-being by shifting investments away from fossil fuel industries.

► Escalation of commitment (EoC) is continued investment in a failing strategy, even when better investments are available. ► Given the long-term consequences of atmospheric greenhouse gas build-up, continued investment in fossil fuels reflects EoC. ► EoC can be reduced by thorough decision-making processes and decreasing threats associated with switching investments. ► We highlight strategies citizens can use to encourage politicians and administrators to shift energy investments.