ABSTRACT
Over recent times there has developed an understandable view of the United States of America as a country with only a limited commitment to the fight against climate change and with limited engagement with the broader sustainability agenda. Indeed as Reich argues, ‘As a nation the United States seems incapable of doing what is required to reduce climate change’ (Reich 2008: 5). The failure of the US Congress to ratify the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on the reduction of greenhouse gases and the record of the George W. Bush Presidency certainly seems to back up such a perception. However, this chapter will argue that the actual picture is far more nuanced and complex.
