GLOBALIZATION AND SUSTAINABILITY
173
the Trump presidency in the United States, however, much of the progress on sustainability may be jeopardized because of his commitment to remove regulations that deal with cleaner sources of energy. Burke (2007) advocates for a policy of adaptive leadership, which requires dedication to bring about changes to deal with sustainability. The leader rather than solving the problems needs to work to facilitate solutions through the effective and timely sharing of information and management of conflicting views and values (Barth 1996).
Ideological Divide The ideological divide can also pose a serious threat to environmental sustainability. There are widespread differences in terms of public opinion on climate change based on ideology. In the United States, for example, conservatives still believe that global warming is natural, and they contest the views of the majority scientists regarding the causes of climate change. Dunlap and McCright (2008, p. 26) view that “the vigorous conservative campaign against climate science (particularly the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)) and climate change advocates (especially Al Gore) has contributed to leaders of the Republican Party adopting a highly skeptical view of global warming.” On the other hand, liberals assert that global warming is a real phenomenon and that it is caused by human factors. Liberals are more concerned about the threat of climate change than the conservatives, and are supportive of the governmental policies to address the causes and consequences of climate change (Jones 2011). Because of the differences in their beliefs, the conservatives do not favor any governmental actions, because they believe that the environmental regulations are unnecessary and impediments to the economic development. The liberals believe that the governmental action is necessary to eliminate the real causes of climate change. The ideological debate dominates Congress and even the judiciary of the United States. For example, on February 9, 2016, the US Supreme Court obstructed the Obama Administration’s federal regulations to curb carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, a major element in combating climate change. The court voted on an ideological line to grant 27 states and private companies to block the Obama Administration’s policy on clean power policy to encourage renewable energy sources. There are different explanations for the causes of the differences between the liberals and the conservatives. One interesting reason is due
