U.S. Climate Politics: Strategic Conditions and Interactions Among Actors and Structures

Abstract

In the United States, the years following the Great Recession were pivotal to the advancement of sustainability solutions to current climate and inequality crises. Despite marked gains in renewables and energy efficiencies following the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), crises and warnings from the IPCC continue to grow direr. Drawing on James Jasper’s players and arenas strategic perspective, we examine how the context for sustainability action has shifted since ARRA. Much of the context appears favorable. External pressure from climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and social unrest intensified the need and resources to act. Market conditions for renewable and efficient energy greatly improved, and public support for government investments increased. Despite the coexistence of many positive trends, a countervailing context exists, including a legacy of inaction, greenwashing, and recalcitrance, which is thwarting the speed in which change is happening.