ISSUE: 1/2026
- Volume 30
- Number 1
- 2026
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Studia Europejskie –
Studies in European Affairs
ISSN: 1428-149X
e-ISSN: 2719-3780
License
Articles published in the journal are under a Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial – No Derivatives 4.0 International License
Publication co-financed by Ministry of Science and Higher Education pursuant to the Regulation of the Minister of Education and Science of 3 August 2021 (Journal of Laws of 2021, item 1514) on the “Development of Scientific Journals” programme.
Publikacja dofinansowana przez Ministerstwo Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego na podstawie rozporządzenia Ministra Edukacji i Nauki z 3 sierpnia 2021 r. (Dz. U. z 2021 r. poz. 1514) w sprawie programu „Rozwój czasopism naukowych”.
Publication co-financed by the University of Warsaw within the “Excellence Initiative – Research University” programme.
Czasopismo otrzymało dofinasowanie w ramach Programu „Inicjatywa Doskonałości – Uczelnia Badawcza”.
The Transatlantic Rift in Climate Policies
Abstract
This article examines the growing divergence in transatlantic climate policies between the European Union and the United States, analysing its structural, political, and economic drivers as well as its broader implications. While the EU has pursued an increasingly regulatory and normative approach – centered on binding emissions targets, carbon pricing, and sustainability standards – the United States has adopted a more fragmented and incentive-based strategy, shaped by domestic political constraints and sub-federal governance. This paper argues that this divergence has widened in recent years due to differing institutional capacities, economic priorities, competitiveness concerns, and perceptions of climate urgency. Particular attention is paid to the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act, carbon border adjustment mechanisms, and industrial policy instruments on transatlantic relations. The analysis demonstrates that, despite periods of renewed political engagement by the US in climate action, policy misalignment risks undermining cooperation, distorting trade, and weakening collective climate ambition. At the same time, the article identifies areas of partial convergence, starting with theoretical concepts, the objectives of climate negotiations, and approached to third-countries’ climate efforts. The article concludes that the transatlantic climate rift could lead to a complete rupture and therefore requires a pragmatic approach to the EU’s climate ambitions and strategic patience regarding future US re-engagement within an evolving geopolitical context.
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DOI: 10.33067/SE.1.2026.1
Language: English
Pages: 7-20
How to Cite:
Harvard
Pietras, J. (2026) "The Transatlantic Rift in Climate Policies". Studia Europejskie – Studies in European Affairs, 1/2026, pp. 7-20. DOI: 10.33067/SE.1.2026.1