The Scope and Limits of Mainstream Environmentalism

Abstract

Before there is policy, there must be politics. Before formulating a plan of action to address a specific problem, society must first decide the nature and causes of the problem, and it must have some broad idea what a solution might entail. The various incompatible environmental narratives currently put forth can be broadly grouped into two overarching categories—mainstream and radical environmentalism. The five mainstream environmental discourses are the cornucopian/Prometheans who believe no serious environmental problems exist; the libertarian free marketeers who acknowledge scarcity but believe free capitalist markets can best allocate those resources; the reform environmentalists who think environmental issues should be handled through law and direct regulation; the environmental economists who accept “market failures” and promote structuring incentives in order to “internalize the externalities;” and, most recently, the advocates for “sustainable development” or “smart growth” supporting continued economic development but in a manner that is “sustainable.”