Reframing environmental issues

Grist has an interesting discussion about reframing environmental issues. I made this contribution:

Reframing in terms of agreed outcomes

One problem is that we are all the beneficiaries of a degraded environment. I don't just mean those of us who fly or drive or buy supermarket food. I mean everyone on the planet. By destroying the environment we have allowed a massive increase in the quantity of life, and we, ourselves, our lives, are the result. Without environmental destruction the earth would be supporting far fewer people. So any campaign, or reframing, must start with some humility. It's not us versus them. We are all 'us'.

To be more pragmatic, I suggest reframing the discussion in terms of explicit, agreed, meaningful, environmental goals. Not, as at present, about rights, processes, activities, or funding of institutions. Goals - so that instead of talking about cutting greenhouse gas emissions, we target climate stability. Instead of trying to monitor and pin down polluters of water, we agree on and target the quality of the water. My website goes into more detail, and discusses how we can use the market's incentives and efficiencies to achieve environmental goals. Efficiency is part of it, but it's also about having clear, agreed, targeted outcomes. There is more consensus over what we need than about how to get there. Talking about outcomes makes trade-offs clearer, and brings more participation and buy-in into environmental policy.