In fact, there is evidence that the environmental progress of the last 25 years could have been had for a fraction of the trillion dollars it has actually cost. Even on heated issues like abortion, there is room for both sides to do better than the status quo. T he problem is that the points on the chart and the frontier don't create themselves. The people involved have to generate the policy alternatives. Then, they have to agree on a specific one.
T hat takes some doing.
Point A, for example, represents a great outcome for your side, but is terrible for your opponent. If you fought for it, she would surely fight back. The reverse would happen with point B. To reach an outcome that is fair to you and to her, such as point D, both of you would need to pursue your own agendas and cooperate. T hat doesn't mean compromise. If two regions shared a river and fought over the boundary, for example, a compromise would be just to put the boundary in the middle.