Tragedy of the Commons

Did you ever go camping as a child? When it was time to leave, and it was time to clean up, did the adults say things like, “Leave it better than you found it.” Meaning – pick up ALL of the trash– and just not what you created. What would happen if nobody picked up their trash?

Our streets, waterways, and forests might end up looking like the picture below.

Streets and waterway littered with garbage.

Why is there so much trash?

These scenes of trash are familiar scenes found in both rural and urban areas across the globe. But why so much trash? Often people don’t think one piece of trash can make that much of a difference – but it does – and it can end up affecting a whole ecosystem.

Street littered with paper Waterway littered with garbage

Think about this for later: If you were walking down the street, and you had a piece of trash in your hand, but there was no trashcan – what would you honestly do?

•Just drop the trash on the ground somewhere?
•Hold it until you find a trashcan?
OR
•Hold it until you can put it in a recycle bin?

Hold your answer until you learn about the phenomena known as the Tragedy of Commons.

It's a Tragedy

The phrase tragedy of commons is used to describe a situation when individuals overuse a shared resource for their personal gain, and leads to a demand that overwhelms the available supply. This idea was first written by William Lloyd a British economist in 1833. The phrase Tragedy of the Commons, became widely known when biologist Garrett Hardin in 1968 wrote an article that described how shared environmental resources, such as the atmosphere, oceans, rivers, and fish stocks, are overused and supplies eventually depleted.

Watch the video below to learn what happens when many people seek to share the same, limited resource.

Humans are #1

Hardin believed that humans, acting in self-interest for short-term goals are destroying the environment for the future.

Are any countries trying to prevent this tragedy from happening?

Many countries around the world are taking a stand to help save the environment. In 2017 Sweden was ranked as one of the most environmentally friendly countries. Over half of Swedish energy comes from renewable resources. Swedes eat more organic food than anyone in the world and are leading the world in green technology and eco-friendly public transportation. Sweden has started using ‘passive houses’ which are heated by the inhabitants/ own body heat, electrical appliances, and sunlight.

What about America?

In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency helps regulate the commons area in the US. Individual states have state EPA's which are responsible for enforcing the federal laws along with state regulations. California, which has been plagued with air and land pollution over the last 50 years, has the most robust environmental laws in the United States. For example, in order to sell a car in California manufacturers must comply with the state EPA regulations, which are much stronger than the federal air pollution regulations.

State and local EPAs will regulate the products that can be used in agriculture. Certain pesticides and herbicides have been found to be toxic to not only humans but local plant and wildlife. So local EPAs have banned the use of certain products. All of this regulation, which many people object to, happens in an attempt to save our commons area.

Tragedy of the Commons Challenge

Before You Go, You Need to Know

The following key points are from this explore section of the lesson. You must know the following information before moving to the next lesson. This is just a summary of the key points.

Tragedy of commons refers to shared environmental resources that are overused and eventually depleted.

Ways that we can protect the commons areas of our environment include:

1. 1. Regulation
  2. Privatization
  3. Cooperation

Understand the difference between what a commons area is {area which is available for use by more than one person} and a non-commons area is {a privately owned and for use by an individual or a select group}.

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