Deny or greenwash? Exploring the interactions between science denialism and greenwashing

As public pressure for climate action increases, corporations face a strategic choice between rejecting climate responsibility or appearing to embrace it. This chapter:

• Explains how firms shift from outright climate denial to greenwashing as social, regulatory, and market expectations evolve — framing both as strategic responses to legitimacy pressures rather than fundamentally different behaviors.

• Develops a framework showing when companies are more likely to deny versus greenwash, highlighting how changing reputational risks, stakeholder scrutiny, and policy environments shape corporate climate communication strategies.

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