University of Tasmania, Australia

Abstract

Political discourse, especially in the United States, has degenerated into severe partisanship, marked by brutal personal attacks and a virtually unregulated campaign finance system that can funnel millions of secret corporate donations into efforts to derail incumbents.

U.S. campaigns begin the day after an election and continue unabated until the next election, requiring candidates to spend a disproportionate amount of time simply raising money…and making promises to special interests that distort the public responsibility of those who are elected.

Against that backdrop the U.S. advocates of action to address climate change faced a daunting- and ultimately impossible – challenge. U.S. leaders failed to enact meaningful controls on greenhouse gas emissions, much less a modest price on carbon. Consequently, efforts to produce an international climate treaty have hit a wall, with no movement in sight.

In contrast, Australia is on the verge of placing a price on carbon, creating a special fund to accelerate the deployment of major renewable energy plants, and setting firm goals for the reduction of carbon emissions for the country.

How did these two countries reach this point in the climate debate? What happens next? And what are the implications for world leadership for both countries?

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Presented by the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS)