Finding common ground in uncertain times

assessing the prospect of multilateralism in transatlantic climate change policy

authored by

Jakob Wiedekind, Christiane Lemke

Abstract

Climate change policy stands out as a highly salient issue in European and in American public opinion. This article contends that a significant transatlantic consensus supports multilateral action on climate change. Leveraging a broad review of survey data in our time series, the analysis identifies a clear pattern of increasing agreement in public opinion. Yet progress in joint transatlantic climate change action has been rather slow and fragmented. To explain this puzzle, we connect these findings to pitfalls for transatlantic cooperation by weighing partisan polarization and regional differences in the U.S. and country variations in the EU as plausible hurdles to policy consistency. We argue that, beneath broader trends in shared concerns, roadblocks on the national level inhibit the implementation of coherent and effective transatlantic climate change policies.

Organisation(s)

Institute of Political Science

Type

Article

Journal

Journal of Transatlantic Studies

Volume

21

Pages

73-99

No. of pages

27

ISSN

1479-4012

Publication date

06.2023

Publication status

Published

Peer reviewed

Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

History, Political Science and International Relations

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 13 - Climate Action

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1057/s42738-023-00108-w (Access: Open)