An innovative and important comparison of environmental policymaking that sheds much light on the policy differences of the U.S. and the E.U. and on how policymakers can more fruitfully learn from the experiences of others in designing more effective environmental policies. The book provides a very interesting look at how policies converge in some areas, diverge in others, and why those differences and similarities occur.
Gary C. Bryner, Department of Political Science, Brigham Young University
This book raises the intriguing question of whether the world's two richest economies—the United States and the European Union—are following increasingly divergent paths on environmental policy, and points to the need for a new transatlantic partnership in this vital area. Everyone concerned about America's faltering environmental leadership should read this book.
The Honorable Timothy E. Wirth, President, The United Nations Foundation
We cannot make progress on global environmental issues if we fail to understand the differences in approach between the United States and Europe. This volume not only sheds light on how we converge and diverge, but also offers us a little hope—that if we share information, analysis, and experience, a hybrid approach that draws on the best each side has to offer may emerge and provide a way forward.
Eileen Claussen, President, The Pew Center on Global Climate Change
At a time of severe strains in the transatlantic partnership, Vig and Faure's Green Giants? poses a vitally important question: Are U.S. and European approaches to environmental politics converging or diverging? The book's case studies are careful and methodical, covering a range of issue-areas from climate change to the regulation of genetically modified organisms, and the editors assess the prospects for either transatlantic conflict or joint leadership across these various issues.
Mark A. Pollack, Department of Political Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison