What Will it Mean to be Green? Envisioning Positive Possibilities Without Dismissing Loss

Convinced of the importance of framing, many environmentalists have begun emphasizing positive visions of a happy and healthy green future rather than gloomy pictures of deprivation and sacrifice. ‘Gloom and doom’ discourses foster despair and resistance, they worry, instead of hope and motivation to change. While positive visions are crucial, though, it is ineffective to deny that living more sustainably will involve any loss. Since people value many incompatible things, living more sustainably will inevitably entail both sacrifice and reward. Environmentalists must help articulate new possibilities of a greener future without dismissing the value of what must be given up.