Executive summary: The partisanship of environmentalism in the United States emerged in the 1990s due to specific alliances formed between environmentalists, climate scientists, Democratic politicians, fossil fuel companies, climate skeptics, and conservative think tanks.
Key points:
In the 1980s, environmentalism had bipartisan support, including from Reagan and Thatcher, despite their small-government ideologies.
Alliances formed between environmentalists, climate scientists, and Democratic politicians (especially Al Gore) in the late 1980s.
Fossil fuel companies allied with climate skeptics and conservative think tanks to oppose climate policies starting around 1990.
Flawed policy proposals in the 1990s, like the BTU tax and Kyoto Protocol, made it easier for Republicans to rally against environmentalism.
Continued partisan decisions and actions in the 2000s reinforced the trend of increasing partisanship on environmental issues.
The resulting partisanship was detrimental to the environmental movement’s support and legislative accomplishments.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, andcontact us if you have feedback.
Executive summary: The partisanship of environmentalism in the United States emerged in the 1990s due to specific alliances formed between environmentalists, climate scientists, Democratic politicians, fossil fuel companies, climate skeptics, and conservative think tanks.
Key points:
In the 1980s, environmentalism had bipartisan support, including from Reagan and Thatcher, despite their small-government ideologies.
Alliances formed between environmentalists, climate scientists, and Democratic politicians (especially Al Gore) in the late 1980s.
Fossil fuel companies allied with climate skeptics and conservative think tanks to oppose climate policies starting around 1990.
Flawed policy proposals in the 1990s, like the BTU tax and Kyoto Protocol, made it easier for Republicans to rally against environmentalism.
Continued partisan decisions and actions in the 2000s reinforced the trend of increasing partisanship on environmental issues.
The resulting partisanship was detrimental to the environmental movement’s support and legislative accomplishments.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.