Module 3  When the tragedies of the commons applies,

what’s good for all of us, is good for each of us.

Study Guide 7: PERSPECTIVES ON
HUMANENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS
Strengthening Cultural Identity
 It is the ties between the natural world people
and the community.
 When a place has a unique identity.
 Revitalizing the rural abandoned areas through
the people who celebrate the rich local history
and culture.
 Citizens have the power to create innovative
spaces in our environment. Together we can
strengthen our cultural identity.

What is the Tragedy of the Commons?

 Prompted by William Forster Lloyd in 1833
 Revived by Garrett Hardin to describe what
happens when many individuals all share a
limited resource. (E.g. grazing land, fishing
areas, living space, clean air etc.)
 Such situations pit short-term self-interest
against the common good which can be
detrimental for everyone. (Overgrazing,
overfishing, overpopulation, pollution)
 Provides an opportunity for an individual to
benefit himself/herself while spreading out any
negative effects across the larger population.

Optimizing for the self in the short-

term isn’t optimal for anyone in the
long term.

 For example, a coal-fired power plant produces

cheap electricity for its customers and profits
for the owners. These local benefits are helpful
in the short-term, but pollution from mining
and burning coal is spread across the entire
atmosphere and sticks around for thousands of
years. Littering, water shortages, deforestation,
traffic jams etc.
 Regardless, we humans form social contracts,
we make communal agreements, we elect
governments and we pass laws. All of this to
save our collective selves from our own
individual impulses.