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Neoliberalism and climate change: How the free-market myth has prevented climate action

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  • Fremstad, Anders
  • Paul, Mark

Abstract

Activists and scholars increasingly blame neoliberalism for the failure to sharply reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but there is insufficient research that investigates the theoretical link between neoliberalism and climate paralysis. This paper seeks to fill that gap by presenting a coherent account of how neoliberal ideology has constrained policies to address climate change in the United States. As motivation, we first present evidence suggesting more neoliberal countries perform worse in addressing climate change. We then analyze how three tenets of neoliberal ideology—to decentralize democracy, defund public investment, and deregulate the economy—have stymied climate action in the United States. Finally, we discuss the Green New Deal as a decisively anti-neoliberal framework that seeks to wield the power of the federal government to pursue large-scale public investments and binding climate regulations for rapid decarbonization.

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  • Fremstad, Anders & Paul, Mark, 2022. "Neoliberalism and climate change: How the free-market myth has prevented climate action," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:197:y:2022:i:c:s0921800922000155
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2022.107353
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    Cited by:

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    2. Brown, Donal & Brisbois, Marie-Claire & Lacey-Barnacle, Max & Foxon, Tim & Copeland, Claire & Mininni, Giulia, 2023. "The Green New Deal: Historical insights and local prospects in the United Kingdom (UK)," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    3. Zeynep Clulow & David M. Reiner, 2022. "Democracy, Economic Development and Low-Carbon Energy: When and Why Does Democratization Promote Energy Transition?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-22, October.

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