ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book concerns the opportunities that emerged in 2008 for environmentalists–activists, government officials, scholars, or businesspeople–to advance an environmental agenda by piggybacking state-led responses to the Global Financial Crisis. It focuses on government measures aimed at promoting an economic recovery after September 2008, rather than efforts to reform the financial system to prevent future crises. The book discusses the extent to which these measures were harnessed to produce the double dividends of employment and environmental benefits, such as emissions reductions. It examines the degree to which governments, in 2008 and 2009, pursued action they believed difficult to undertake under the constraints of neoliberalism to address the global environmental crisis. The book explores the extent to which governments embraced "Green Keynesianism", which is defined here as government intervention in the economy through public policies.
