The Transatlantic Rift in Climate Policies
The Transatlantic Rift in Climate Policies

Summary/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 Infl ation 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 identifi es 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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