The Political Causes and Consequences of State Leadership on Climate Change.

US history is replete with examples of US states leading Congress toward a variety of national policy actions addressing environmental issues. By providing political support, by testing policy designs, and by implementing policies mandated by federal law US states have consistently served as the laboratories for new experiments. In recent years, many federal environmental laws have been modeled after state and regional programs and plans. The state-level climate change policies now rapidly proliferating around the country will undoubtedly impact any new federal legislation on the issue. This article analyzes the political circumstances leading to state leadership on climate change and the impact such leadership is having on national and international negotiations and decisions. The article begins with a summary of the climate change issue with special attention paid to the politics of climate change negotiations at the international, regional, national and local levels. It then process-traces the development of current state action on climate change in 7 states with an aim of highlighting important explanatory variables for new policy development. The findings reveal that state action is likely to lead the US to full compliance with the Kyoto Protocol, whether or not the US decides to sign the treaty again and work to ratify it through the Senate. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]