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From: "Craig Schier" <cschier@hotmail.com>
To: James_Baird@Brown.edu
Subject: tragedy of the commons
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 1998 05:19:11 PDT
JCB comments in blue

The tragedy of the commons is just another way of looking at the
definition of economics. That is, how we utilize limited resources to
their fullest. I think it's pretty safe to say that many of the earth's
resources will eventually be used up, regardless of who uses them. It's
just a question of how they're used, for what purposes, how efficiently,
etc. I don't know exactly how long we have for all of our common
resources, but hopefully it will be long enough.
Long enough for what?

What so many people forget is that we all have to breathe the air
and drink the water. Companies that pollute our common resources do an
injustice to not only the people around them, but to all of their
descendants, not to mention the millions of other living organisms on
earth. All for a few bucks. Now it's not feasible to just stop what
we're doing. Society doesn't work that way.
This is the technical fix talked of in articles by Sagoff and replies by Erlich in the Readings.

Instead, we must regulate the use of resources until better
technology allows us to utilize our resources more efficiently, with
less pollution. Fuel cells for cars is one example of using our
resources more efficiently. Once this technology becomes more viable,
and I have every confidence it will, there will be much less automobile
pollution. This is good for all of us. If we advance far enough
technologically, it could be possible to keep earth's surface relatively
healthy. Even though ore, petroleum, and other minerals will be used,
life on earth does not have to pay too high a price. That is, if people
act.
Regulation is obviously a partial answer and government is the only agency that can be effective. The laissez-faire economists would say that price will take care of the distrubtion. I suppose so, but is that the most humane way?

Government restrictions on resource consumption are necessary
because national governments are the only ones that are large enough to
enforce "unprofitable" behavior on all. Making people aware through
education of environmental problems and the industries that cause them
is the first step. It can change national consciousness. However,
eventually the government will have to set up regulations to make an
effective change in current practices. For every 1, or 10, or 100
people who will change their practices because of education, a few will
not. And a few is all it takes to destroy the environment.
Consequently, government guidelines are the next logical step to
ecological destruction.
A question is, "is this all a population driven problem?"

Let me know what's happening.
Craig