In 2009 the US House of Representatives passed legislation requiring reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 18 percent over the coming decade. Later that year, President Obama went to Copenhagen to sign a treaty requiring further reductions over a two-decade period. The President came back without any firm commitments. This book articulates a multilevel process that starts with local interests and politics to explain how they can influence international negotiations and why President Obama's efforts in Copenhagen were doomed to fail.

Patrick M. Regan is Professor of Peace Studies and Political Science at the University of Notre Dame.

1 The Politics of Climate Change
2 Copenhagen: The Climate Change Summit
3 Lessons to Learn: Ozone and CO2
4 Whales and Wolves
5 Minimizing Uncertainty and Future Discounting
6 Moving Forward: Paris and Beyond