Much to everybody’s surprise, the low-carbon bandwagon survived even a global downturn - it remains a real issue in the eyes of politicians and the public alike. We have not seen the end of risky financial decisions, but we have reached the end of a period when carbon became established as an issue but, despite this, action appeared optional for individual governments, businesses and societies. In this publication, we present four assertions that we believe highlight the dangers of complacency.