Section 1: Introduction

While in office, the Trump administration has made a concerted effort to cut programs and regulations designed to protect the environment.

This reversal of course from the policies of the Obama administration has created significant uncertainty for other countries and for the corporate world. Despite being one of the largest contributors to climate change, the United States has become an unreliable partner in the fight to solve this global problem. The international community is pressing ahead on the kind of agenda envisaged at Paris, one that combines public, NGO, and inter-governmental pressure to achieve progress through government-set targets and regulations, public-private partnerships, and resource transfers from wealthier to less-wealthy nations. This coexists with an assumption—encouraged by many U.S. voices—that Washington will return to the international climate arena with roughly the same policy approach it had in 2008-2016. The business community has also had to deal with the vicissitudes of environmental policy.

Despite being one of the largest contributors to climate change, the United States has become an unreliable partner in the fight to solve this global problem.