Environmental identity overrides data

By virtually all key metrics, Washington’s environmental policies are failing. And yet, when was the last time politicians, environmental activists or the media expressed concern about policy failures?

Speeches and news stories are filled with demands that we save the planet, describing threats to salmon, orca, forests and the climate. And yet, there is a remarkable lack of curiosity when real-world efforts fail to address those problems.

One common thread is that environmental policy generally, and climate policy in particular, is simplistically characterized as a debate between two contrary...