How the Constitution Fails to Protect the Environment

Pulp mill and export dock, Longview, Washington. Photo: Jeffrey St. Clair.

By Katrina Fischer Kuh and James R. May

Even a healthy U.S. democracy would struggle to respond effectively to the “wicked” problem of climate change. As humans, we would have to overcome innate cognitive limitations to accept the connection between everyday actions like driving and attenuated effects on climate. As voters, we would have to appreciate the importance of addressing a problem with limited immediate...