[Pt.] I. Modest progress toward an increasingly distant goal. Environmental and public health protection : steps forward and steps back -- Growing consumption and population -- Greater poverty, unemployment, and attention to environmental justice -- The built environment : shifting toward sustainability -- Governance : communities as sustainability leaders, states as energy leaders (and the federal government catching up?) -- Improving opportunities for sustainability education and engagement -- International activity : a more-sustainable direction but reduced influence -- [pt.] II. Drivers for sustainability. Growing support in spite of mixed public opinion -- More-sustainable decisions are easier to make and more attractive -- Lawmaking is not limited to environmental regulation -- [pt.] III. Obstacles to further progress. Habits, lack of urgency, and uncertainty about alternatives -- Unsupportive law and governance -- Political opposition and growing influence of other countries -- [pt.] IV. Accelerating progress, overcoming obstacles. More and better sustainability choices -- Law for sustainability -- Visionary and pragmatic governance -- An American sustainability movement. |