PS 3480, Environmental Politics, April 15, 2009
Climate Change
The IPCC
What are the basics?
a. Increasing carbon concentrations in the atmosphere
The Greenhouse effect
b. climate changes
How has the political agenda developed?
1896: first concerns about carbon in the atmosphere
1970s: The beginnings of climate change science
1992: Rio
Massachusetts v. EPA (2007)
Climate Change as a Wicked Policy Problem
a. The Bush Administration and Climate Change
b. State and local initiatives
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006
c. The Obama administration
The Waxman / Markey bill, 2009
The Obama budget
Discussion: Should American governments act unilaterally to deal with Climate Change?
If American governments should be doing more, how can you get them to do more?