This timely book explores the rocky trajectory of US environmental history and policy from pre-European settlement to the present. It includes underreported aspects of early history, and the first in-depth synthesis of the framing and outcomes of the groundbreaking environmental laws of the 1970s.

The narrative traces the political polarization that has affected the lag in US progress against climate change, compared with Europe. Concluding with the 2024 election of Donald Trump, the Afterword considers the dramatic events in the new administration. This authoritative but readable account shows how the US has arrived at its current position, and concludes withpathways for reducing polarization and achieving lasting regulatory reform.