ABSTRACT
Despite far-reaching similarities in lifestyle and socioeconomic development, Europe and North America have responded to the threat of global climate change in remarkably different ways. At times, the divisions over this issue have been perceived great enough to threaten “disunity in the transatlantic partnership” (Busby and Ochs 2005: 36), with open disagreement on the nature of the underlying challenge, the scope and ambition of appropriate policy objectives, and the instruments used to achieve them. What explains these divergent policy choices and preferences across the Atlantic? What underlying factors have caused Europe to become thought of as a climate leader, both domestically and abroad, while Canada and the United States are, at best, seen as problematic actors in climate governance?
