As detailed in our book-length historical survey, the story of U.S. law and the environment weaves together numerous contrasts, competitions, overlaps, movements, and tensions. The story is one of exploitation and temperance. Of excess and forbearance. Of destruction and restoration. Of resistance and adaptation. Taken together, the many intersecting narratives provide vital lessons for a nation, and even a world, navigating today’s pressing environmental challenges. [This Comment is adapted from the concluding chapter of Lessons for a Warming Planet: A Vital History of U.S. Environmental Law (NYU Press 2026).]