ABSTRACT
The political stand of the United States on global climate change (GCC). has shifted over time with different dominating perspectives on the phenomenon. At the 1992 Earth Summit, President George H.W. Bush agreed on the responsibility of the developed world to address GCC. President Clinton negotiated and signed onto the Kyoto Protocol, formally embracing the responsibility of the developed world for addressing GCC. The succeeding George W. Bush Administration, however, did not pursue ratifying the Kyoto Protocol. The Obama Presidency was in concert with the growing global consensus on the human causes to climate change and its negative consequences on state and human security. The new Trump Administration has ardently questioned the international consensus on GCC but has been challenged by existing regulations, programs, and initiatives among authorities at both state and federal levels. It is also argued in the chapter that although the current Administration does not see GCC as a major security threat to the US there is a growing concern over the costs that come with climate change. The chapter observes that adopting a position that prioritizes domestic adaptation policies over mitigation efforts would represent an abdication by the US of its international leadership.
