Climate discourse and economic downturns: The case of the United States, 2008-2013

Global progress on climate change has been stalled since the 2008 financial collapse. I consider the case of the United States and how the crash and subsequent stagnation have reduced prospects for climate solutions at the national level. I focus on discourse and the economic and cultural framing of climate protection and the environment as a luxury good, unaffordable in recessionary times. As a solution to this paralyzing framework, I consider the emergence of “new economics,” which employs an alternative framing at the local and regional level. New economics is fostering the creation of new forms of ownership in a range of enterprise structures that also contribute to sustainability and greenhouse gas reductions.