[avtar]

> Why is the US (and maybe Australia?) different?

I would add Canada to that list as well. The current federal government has been trying to enforce a national carbon tax which has so far been met with siginificant resistance.

> Is it because voters are ignorant or short termist, and politicians follow? Or politicians are corrupted and mislead their voters? Or just a higher level of scientific ignorance all around? Or a heavy dependence on fossil fuel prosperity in key districts?

All of the above? :) And probably also corporate lobbying.

[cheerlessbog]

But why is this seemingly different in western Europe?

Another theory : if you live closer together you have a more visceral understanding of how you depend on the good behavior of others.

[klyrs]

American immigrant to Canada: they consume Fox News here too. The station can't broadcast here, but the internet is everywhere. Canadians don't believe me when I say "Canadian politics seem to follow American politics by 5-10 years" but... I've had to update that to "1-10" years because Trump's impact on Canadian culture and politics was almost immediate.