The Environment, International Relations, and U.S. Foreign Policy

An important and timely volume that fills a large gap in the literature on American environmental policy. Anyone concerned about our flagging international environmental leadership should read this book. -- Norman J. Vig, Carleton College This is coherent and informative coverage of the ways in which U.S. foreign policy engages (or does not) with the complex relationship between human actions and environmental change. -- Lorraine Elliott, Australian National University [This book will be] welcome ... [to] those interested in better understanding the mixed U.S. record on international environmental protection. -- Miranda A. Schreurs, University of Maryland at College Park

As the world's largest polluter and its wealthiest country, the United States has a potentially enormous impact on international efforts to protect the environment. This book examines how US foreign policy affects and is affected by global environmental change.As the world's largest polluter and its wealthiest country, the United States has a potentially enormous impact on international efforts to protect the environment. In this innovative and thought-provoking book, an international group of scholars examines how U.S. foreign policy affects and is affected by global environmental change. Covering three broad areas - national security and geopolitics, domestic and international politics, and national interests and international obligations - the contributors examine a host of key issues, including ozone depletion and climate change, biodiversity and whale hunting, environmental and energy security, and international trade. They also raise moral issues associated with the United States' obligations to the rest of humanity. Because the environment has become an ever-more pressing issue at the diplomatic level, this book is essential, timely reading for policymakers, activists, and anyone interested in environmental change and international relations.