We all feel like that sometimes, don’t we?

Public awareness of environmental problems, especially climate change, has never been higher. A lot of us recognize that collectively the way we live our lives has a big impact on those problems. More and more people want to do their bit to change that.

But change is often difficult, especially when it involves everyday habits and routines: how we heat our homes, how we travel around, what food we eat, what products we buy. Many of us don’t know what we ought to do differently.

The biggest problem of all is that none of us can beat climate change or other environmental problems alone. So there doesn’t seem much point in any one of us making adjustments in our own lives unless we think others will do the same.

That applies at every level of society. Citizens want to know their neighbours are committed and that together their actions will have critical mass. Businesses want a level playing field, so that their competitors are being asked to reach the same standards as they are. Nations want to be confident that if they take action others will follow suit, and not just reap the benefits without doing the work. It’s as if we’re all looking at each other and saying in unison, “I will if you will”.

That’s why I believe we need 'an environmental contract' setting out the rights and responsibilities of each of us when it comes to the environment. That way, we’ll have reassurance that the action we take will be worth it.

I’d like to use this Wiki to develop what an environmental contract should look like, drawing on the ideas and ingenuity of a much broader and more diverse group of people than I could ever reach through the usual channels government ministers use.

This is an experiment for me and my department. But if it works, it’s an approach I’d like us to use more.