Though international environmental policy began with a bang in the early 1970s, and has resulted in major successes in some areas, since the early 1990s international environmental institutions have lost ground. Coincidentally, the United States has transformed from a leader to a laggard and even a hindrance to collective action on environmental matters. These dynamics have been causally linked in the literature, which argues that the US has become “the greatest impediment of all” to the effectiveness of the United Nations and the failure of international environmental institutions is caused by US withdrawal or incapacitation. This argument derives from the assumption that governments are reluctant to empower international organizations to make or constrain their domestic policy choices. While the logic is intuitively tempting, it fails to explain the shift in US international environmental engagement over the past forty years. Why was the United States a pioneer in the 1970s and 1980s? Why did it create and support the international environmental institutions, including the United Nations Environment Programme, the Environment Fund enabling the new organization’s work, and many environmental conventions? The puzzle I explore in this paper is therefore – What explains the shift in US behavior in international environmental affairs and how does this shift causally relate to the performance of the international environmental institutions? I contend that US withdrawal from global environmental governance is both causing and is caused by the failure of international institutions to solve global environmental problems. I also attribute the pioneering effect of government to the pioneering spirit of individuals and illustrate their deep impact on policy choices. I also develop two typologies of factors – for US non-participation in international environmental affairs and for suboptimality of international environmental institutions. I examine these elements and highlight the causes, effects, and policy options for US (re)engagement in multilateral environmental institutions.
