Value judgments in environmental risk assessments can sometimes have critical influences on policies. The phenomenon that values can have lasting effects is conceptualized as “value-inertia.” Value-inertia is exemplified and demonstrated through assessments of climate change risks. The problems of value-inertia are discussed, and suggestions to mitigate the problems are provided. Most importantly, decision-makers need to be aware that environmental risk assessments may be affected by value-inertia. However, because it is often difficult for decision-makers to both identify and compensate for previous value judgments, scientists and experts also have a moral responsibility to mitigate problems caused by value-inertia.