The Global Commons.pptx

Global Commons Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources One For All: A World of 8 Billion - Activity Rules ● You may not talk to anyone during the game or communicate with hand or facial gestures. ● The popsicle sticks belong to all of you, to the whole group. ● Music will be played, and while it is...

Global Commons Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources One For All: A World of 8 Billion - Activity Rules ● You may not talk to anyone during the game or communicate with hand or facial gestures. ● The popsicle sticks belong to all of you, to the whole group. ● Music will be played, and while it is playing, each of you may take turns and take a stick or sticks out of the pool in the centre. ● You may not put sticks back into the pool once you Rules ● As soon as the music stops, you must stop taking sticks out of the pool. At that time, I will replace sticks left in the pool, and then continue the game. ● At the end of each round, players who get 10 sticks may trade them in for a *reward*. If you have less than 10, you will not get a *reward*. ● There will never be more sticks in the pool than there were at the start of the game. This is the maximum number of sticks the pool can hold. Think “carrying capacity.” Let’s play another round… You may converse with your group members as you are playing the game. Debrief 1. What did the popsicle sticks represent? 2. Can we draw any parallels between the way the players treated the popsicle sticks and the way individuals, and society as a whole, uses or overuses renewable resources or our “commons?” What are the Global Renewable vs Nonrenewable Resources Common Resources Common Resources Think, Pair, Share Are resources like air, trees, water, and soil renewable resources? Why or why not? Tragedy of the Commons ● an economic theory that describes how people often use natural resources to their advantage without considering the good of society as a whole ● When individuals consider only their own welfare in this manner, it can lead to negative outcomes for everyone, as the natural resource becomes depleted Garrett Hardin – Economist Authored the essay in 1968; ● “The Tragedy of the Commons” ● Also “Lifeboat Ethics” Focuses on: 1. environmental degradation 2. population growth 3. limited natural resources 4. privatization of land Imagine… ● Hardin’s idea involved a pasture that was "open to all." ● He asked us to imagine the grazing of animals on a common piece of land ● Individuals are motivated to add to their flocks to increase personal wealth Tragedy of the Commons ● Each animal added to the land degrades the overall commons by a small amount ● Although the degradation for each additional animal is small, the gain in wealth for the owner is greater Tragedy of the Commons ● As selfish stewards, each owner adds another animal to their flock and the pasture ● If all owners follow this pattern the commons will ultimately be destroyed ● Failure of the individual owner to preserve the natural resource is known as "the tragedy of the commons" What is the “tragedy”? ● “We can avoid tragedy only by altering our values.” Hardin, 1968 ● This means we can change the way we live by preserving our natural resources — even in the private sector (this is where sustainably comes in) Sustainability… Meeting present needs of today without compromising the needs of future generations. The “SEE” of Sustainability