APES Video Notes for 5.1 - Tragedy of the Commons

The Tragedy of the Commons

The tragedy of the commons occurs when individuals use a shared resource in their own interests, causing it to be depleted or damaged. Because no single user owns the resource, users may not feel responsible for its upkeep or bear the full costs of overuse.

Key Features

• The resource is shared or public, rather than privately owned.
• Overuse causes the resource to be depleted or degraded.
• Users may think, “If I don’t use it, someone else will.”

The concept was first described by British economist William Foster Lloyd, who used the example of overgrazing on common land. It became widely known through ecologist Garrett Hardin’s 1968 essay, “The Tragedy of the Commons.”

Examples

• Overgrazing: Too many animals feed on the same land.
• Overfishing: Fish populations decline, threatening future supplies and the livelihoods of people who depend on them.
• Air and water pollution: Pollution harms shared resources and the people who rely on them.
• Groundwater overuse: A company or other user may pump a shared aquifer without bearing the full long-term consequences.
• Public restroom cleanliness: Users may be less careful with a shared facility than with something they own and maintain themselves.

Why It Happens

• Users may not directly experience the consequences of resource depletion.
• People may believe that others will use the resource if they do not.
• Weak or absent laws and penalties can reduce incentives to conserve resources.

Consequences and Negative Externalities

Overuse can deplete resources and shift costs onto other people. A negative externality is a cost of an activity that is not borne by the person or organization carrying it out.

Examples include:

• Overfishing Atlantic cod, which caused severe population declines and harmed fishing communities and people who depend on fish.
• Sulfur dioxide from coal-fired power plants, which can worsen respiratory problems such as asthma and bronchitis, creating health costs for others.
• Pesticides washing into waterways or groundwater, potentially harming fish, drinking-water sources, and downstream recreation and livelihoods.

Ways to Address the Problem

• Assign ownership or responsibility: Make a resource private or place it under state ownership so someone is accountable for its management.
• Charge for resource use: Use fees, permits, or taxes to encourage people to use less and conserve more. Examples include grazing and logging permits.
• Enforce penalties: Apply taxes, fines, or criminal liability for pollution and other harmful overuse.
• Use laws and oversight: The video names the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Safe Drinking Water Act as laws that give the Environmental Protection Agency authority to impose sanctions. It also describes the Bureau of Land Management collecting grazing fees, researching land quality, and supporting restoration.

Practice Prompt

Identify another shared resource, explain how human activities affect it, and suggest ways to manage it.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Mr. Smith: Narrator and instructor in the subtitles.
• William Foster Lloyd: Economist whose example of common-land overgrazing helped establish the concept.
• Garrett Hardin: Ecologist who popularized the concept in his 1968 essay, “The Tragedy of the Commons.”