In class on Tuesday, we discussed foreign environmental policy. Specifically, we discussed preservation efforts regarding the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Our discussion hit a wall when we started to assess how we might make environmental policy appealing for U.S. citizens. Unfortunately, as tough as the pill might be to swallow, we cannot appeal to the U.S. public. There is a small minority of people in the country that believe in this effort to preserve the Australian ecosystem. The most important marketing technique will be personal appeal.
It is not the masses that we need to appeal to. It is not the farmers. It is the top echelon of stakeholders with money and power that can influence policymakers because power writes policy. It is the CEOs of the fishing corporations, not the fisherman, whom can influence the policy. It is the influence of the president of the Carnival cruise line, which takes people on vacation to witness the beauty of reef, who can make a change. The farmer in land-locked Kansas has a smaller voice than many, and is not easily swayed to support foreign aquatic policies. For this reason, putting time, effort, and money into influencing the upper tiers of the environmental stakeholders is the most efficient way to have success in preserving a foreign ecosystem like the Great Barrier Reef.
As for how the government can make the movement appealing to stakeholders a few thousand miles away, it is not an easy process. Obviously, the cruise line would be concerned with aesthetics and overall water quality, if their passengers will be snorkeling. However, the CEO of a fishing corporation would certainly be more interested in the proficiency of nutrient cycles because he needs healthy fish. The key is to make the matter intimate. The unfortunate truth is that the U.S. does not need to appeal to the masses, they must appeal to the massive.
Sources
http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/7524507e-37a6-4cff-9195-cb5fe19d8f52/files/gbr-aesthetic-values.pdf