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Understanding the Tragedy of the Commons
Oct 7, 2024
Lecture Notes: The Tragedy of the Commons
Introduction
Thought experiment: Small village depending on a local fish pond for food.
Sharing the pond with three other villagers.
Initial condition: Pond starts with a dozen fish.
Fish Reproduction
Fish reproduce: for every two fish, one baby added each night.
Objective: Maximize food supply.
Optimal Fishing Strategy
Each villager should catch one fish per day.
Rationale:
If each takes one fish, 8 fish remain.
Each pair of fish produces one baby overnight.
Pond restocks to 12 fish by the next day.
Consequence of overfishing:
Reduction in reproductive pairs.
Long-term depletion and starvation.
The Tragedy of the Commons
Classic problem described by William Forster Lloyd (1833).
Revived by ecologist Garrett Hardin.
Occurs when individuals share a limited resource.
Short-term self-interest vs. common good.
Examples: Overgrazing, overfishing, pollution, overpopulation.
Mechanism
Individuals benefit personally while negatives are spread out.
Fishermen example: Each motivated to take extra fish.
Shared decline in fish population.
Tragic outcome: Short-term gain leads to long-term loss.
Real-Life Examples
Overuse of antibiotics leading to resistant bacteria.
Pollution from coal power plants.
Other examples: Littering, deforestation, traffic jams, bottled water.
Solutions to the Tragedy
Human capability for social contracts and communal agreements.
Government roles and laws to curb individual impulses.
Importance of communal wellbeing: "What's good for all of us is good for each of us."
Conclusion
Need for collective action to address the tragedy of the commons.
Encouragement to support educational initiatives like TED-Ed.
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