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Economic metaphors – including natural capital, natural assets, ecosystem services, and ecological debt – are becoming commonplace in environmental policy discourse. Proponents consider such terms provide a clearer idea of the ‘value’ of nature, and are useful for ensuring the environment is given due attention in decision making. Critical discourse analysis highlights the ideological work language does; the way in which we think, write, and talk about the environment has important implications for how it is governed. Consequently, the widespread use of economic metaphors is politically significant. This article discusses how metaphors have been analysed in environmental policy research, surveys the use of prominent economic metaphors in environmental policy, and considers the politics associated with such terms. The uptake of various economic metaphors represents a form of reverse discourse, varies in politically significant ways, and narrows the terms of environmental debate. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) 2030 rely on healthy ecosystems providing a multitude of benefits and services for a sustainable society. Many SDG goals are cross-cutting and attaining these is highly reliant on policy coherence. Coherent policy settings enhance the synergies between goals and minimise disproportionate trade-offs. However, research indicates policy coherence and its implications for achieving SDGs is a neglected topic in the global south, particularly the least developed countries (LDCs). Using the hydropower development policy in Nepal as a case, this article employs a refined coherence analysis framework to assess how coherently the concept of ecosystem services (ES) is considered in 20 policy documents. The findings reveal a lack of coherent consideration of the ES concept and implementation gaps. This improves knowledge about an understudied topic in the global south and provides a tool to evaluate policy coherence that can be applied across sectors and scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]