I’ve been fairly enviormentally for a long time so it will be harder for me to see a reduction in my usage. Why not have a fair share usage challenge so as the vanguards aren’t punished.
]]>Yeah, I fully agree about Hardin’s examples and analyses being simplifed, but the importance of the “Tragedy of the Commons” article is more related to its timing, where it was published and its theme.
Similar things could be said about two other landmarks from the 1960s: Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring”, and Ralph Nader’s “Unsafe At Any Speed”. Both are great reads, despite their shortcomings.
]]>And I have to quickly respond to Mike’s reference to ‘The Tragedy of the Commons’. I agree that the externalities to our oil-dependent economies are a case of market failure well-illustrated by Hardin’s famous article. But the analogy is often taken too far and Hardin presents a very simplistic version of the commons which does not reflect how most commons actually function in practice. Check out anything by Elinor Ostrom for great analysis. In the area where I do a lot of work - intellectual property - a healthy commons/public domain is critical to future creative works (see, e.g., http://www.forumonpublicdomain.ca).
Say hello to Nova Scotia for me, Keith!
]]>I think one of the ways to look at this whole problem is in the context of common-property resources, and how poorly the “free market” addresses them. Basically, it doesn’t address them at all, and market interventions are usually required to mitigate the externalities and other excesses of the market, never mind making any headway. These market interventions typically are in the form of government regulations.
Problems of a wide scope, in which an individual plays but a miniscule part, are terribly hard to address. This was best described in the landmark article “The Tragedy of the Commons” Garrett Hardin, Science, 162(1968):1243-1248. It details the inexorable descent into oblivion of most common-property resources like air, water, fisheries, pollution of these resources. It deals with matters of global concern, on a global scale. In short, it was a wake-up call, ironically from the optimistic 1960s.
Addressing these problems requires a multi-pronged approach. Regulation to be sure, has its place. But education is a major component as well, and it is here that Keith and the One Tonne Challenge car have excelled. All of us who drive smarts or economical hybrids like the Prius or Insight, car pool, walk or ride bicycles instead of driving are playing our part and trying to set an example.
Keith, you are the vanguard, and kudos to you and the organisers of the cross-country tour for that!
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