Abstract

This chapter explores various legal implications of US domestic and foreign policy for the net zero transition and how the increasingly polarized politics of climate change—in the United States and globally—limit domestic, regional, and global solidarity for the clean energy transition. To the maximum extent possible, governments must facilitate solidarity across ideological lines in the push to achieve a net zero world. The path to net zero in the United States depends in large part on domestic politics and who holds governmental power. Consequently, effective legal practice—counselling green businesses, securing tax credits, etc—requires an appreciation of the political system and the current state of partisan politics. This chapter sets out the political landscape in detail, with a particular focus on the impact of such power politics on climate policy and the net zero transition in the United States and beyond. It then offers some concrete areas of legal practice and lessons on the opportunities, challenges, and ways forward in balancing net zero with broader domestic and foreign policy objectives, especially those relating to sustainability, energy security, and energy justice.