The European Green Deal and the United States

ongoing

This Jean Monnet (JM) Chair proposal—the European Green Deal and the US (EUGDUS)—focuses on EU climate change policy and sustainability practices. The EU continues to be the global leader in combatting climate change affording an opportunity for Americans to learn from the Green Deal and the EU’s climate policy integration approach for achieving carbon neutrality. In 2019, New York State (NYS) adopted the ambitious Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), which is funded by a $4.2 billion Environmental Bond Act and annual budgetary appropriations. NYS Governor Kathy Hochul co-chairs the US Climate Alliance, a group of 24 state governors that has recently announced its commitment to the Paris Agreement goals, despite President Trump’s announced withdrawal. New York will be a key state in an intergovernmental struggle with the federal government over climate change policy during the funding period for this project. The JM Chair will oversee a partnership between the Institute for European Union Studies at SUNY and SUNY Buffalo State University, ensuring a state-wide impact for this project’s activities and outputs. The JM Chair’s Team will teach European studies classes and infuse EU content in undergraduate and graduate courses offered in biology, economics, geography, public administration, and political science, participate in the IEUSS sponsored annual SUNY Model European Union, organize a climate change conference, invite guest speakers to campus or virtually, edit a book on transatlantic climate change policy, publish academic papers, and present findings at academic conferences. The project website, housed on the well-established IEUSS website, will disseminate work products. The Department of Economics, Finance, and Public Administration, which will house the JM Chair, is a community-engaged department, thereby facilitating dialogue between the academy and community stakeholders.