38. Beyond Borders: What U.S. and Swedish Environmental Policies Teach Us

38. Beyond Borders: What U.S. and Swedish Environmental Policies Teach Us

July 10, 2026 · 10 min · Season 8 · Episode 39

About this episode

This episode compares the environmental policies of Sweden and the United States, exploring their differences and strengths.

We're comparing Sweden and the United States. If you've ever traveled to Sweden, you've probably noticed how clean the cities are, how much public transportation is used, and how seriously recycling is taken. On the other hand, the United States is home to some of the world's most important environmental research, groundbreaking clean-energy companies, and national parks that have inspired conservation efforts across the globe. So why do these two countries have such different environmental laws? Is Sweden really as environmentally friendly as its reputation suggests? And does the United States deserve its reputation for having weaker environmental protections? We look at the differences in systems, climate policy, energy production, pollution prevention, recycling and prevention, transportation, forests and nature, and the strengths of each country. As always, the answer is more complicated than it first appears.

People in this episode

Host: Jenn Galler

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Sweden, United States

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