Download Tragedy of the Commons

TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS
Jørgen Stig Nørgård
Local and Regional Sustainability Workshop,
Syddansk Universitet, Odense, 16 – 17. March 2009
THE TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS
• The title refers to a 1968 paper by
Garrett Hardin in ‘Science’
• The ‘Commons’ refers to the land
in communities earlier available
for free grazing etc.
Sustainability Workshop
Syddansk Univ. 16-17/3 2009
Tragedy of the Commons, J. S. Nørgård,
Technical University of Denmark, [email protected]
2
THE EARTH – a global Common,
limited and closed, except for energy
SOLAR RADIATION
GLOBAL ECOSYSTEM
PLANETARY
SOURCES
MATERIALS
& FOSSIL
FUELS
HIGH GRADE
ENERGY
ECONOMIC
ECONOMIC
SYSTEM
SYSTEM
WASTES &
POLLUTION
LOW GRADE
ENERGY
PLANETARY
SINKS
HEAT RADIATION
After Daly and Goodland
Sustainability Workshop
Syddansk Univ. 16-17/3 2009
Tragedy of the Commons, J. S. Nørgård,
Technical University of Denmark, [email protected]
3
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Definition:
A development, which does not
reduce the development options of
the future by deteriorating the
natural environment.
(Herman Daly)
Sustainability Workshop
Syddansk Univ. 16-17/3 2009
Tragedy of the Commons, J. S. Nørgård,
Technical University of Denmark, [email protected]
4
PEOPLE’S
PERSPECTIVE
IN TIME AND SPACE
Meadows et al: Limits to Growth 1972
Sustainability Workshop
Syddansk Univ. 16-17/3 2009
Tragedy of the Commons, J. S. Nørgård,
Technical University of Denmark, [email protected]
5
THE GLOBAL COMMON
• A century ago the perception of the world
as infinite and abundance lead to some
dangerous dogmas:
• Adam Smith’s invisible hand, called for
selfishness.
• Bentham’s goal of ‘the greatest good for
the greatest number’ called for growth.
Sustainability Workshop
Syddansk Univ. 16-17/3 2009
Tragedy of the Commons, J. S. Nørgård,
Technical University of Denmark, [email protected]
6
CORPORATIONS IN THE
GLOBAL COMMONS
• The threat to old Local Commons came from
individual’s selfishness and moral decay.
• The threat to today’s Global Commons are more
severe, since they come from maybe far away
Corporations, which have a clear responsibility
to their shareholders, normally to maximize profit
with no moral considerations (except if it can
increase profit ! ).
Sustainability Workshop
Syddansk Univ. 16-17/3 2009
Tragedy of the Commons, J. S. Nørgård,
Technical University of Denmark, [email protected]
7
THE GLOBAL COMMON
• A century ago the perception of the world
as infinite and abundance lead to some
dangerous dogmas:
• Adam Smith’s invisible hand, called for
selfishness.
• Bentham’s goal of ‘the greatest good for
the greatest number’ called for growth.
Sustainability Workshop
Syddansk Univ. 16-17/3 2009
Tragedy of the Commons, J. S. Nørgård,
Technical University of Denmark, [email protected]
8
THE LIMITS TO GROWTH
Published: 1972
Size: 200 pages
Sold in 30 million
copies . . .
. . in 30 languages.
- - - a turning point !!
Sustainability Workshop
Syddansk Univ. 16-17/3 2009
Tragedy of the Commons, J. S. Nørgård,
Technical University of Denmark, [email protected]
9
The Limits to Growth
• Renewed interest in the report, due to both the
financial crisis and the climate problems.
• Rebutting the early critique. The report and its
follow up editions are surprisingly right and
relevant.
• A useful basis for discussing the new path
necessary for human as well as for nature.
Sustainability Workshop
Syddansk Univ. 16-17/3 2009
Tragedy of the Commons, J. S. Nørgård,
Technical University of Denmark, [email protected]
10
TECHNOECONOMY
EXPLOITATION
OF NATURE
MONEY ECONOMY
LIFE PATTERNS
REAL ECONOMY EFFICIENCY
REAL ECONOMY
SATISFACTIO
N
HAPPINESS,
etc.
ECOSACRIFICE
Sustainability Workshop
Syddansk Univ. 16-17/3 2009
Tragedy of the Commons, J. S. Nørgård,
Technical University of Denmark, [email protected]
11
ACCIDENTS INCREASES GDP !
Sustainability Workshop
Syddansk Univ. 16-17/3 2009
Tragedy of the Commons, J. S. Nørgård,
Technical University of Denmark, [email protected]
12
A. EINSTEIN:
“Not everything that can be
counted counts,
and,
not everything that counts can
be counted”
Sustainability Workshop
Syddansk Univ. 16-17/3 2009
Tragedy of the Commons, J. S. Nørgård,
Technical University of Denmark, [email protected]
13
ECOSACRIFICE
Sustainability Workshop
Syddansk Univ. 16-17/3 2009
REAL ECONOMY EFFICIENCY
EXPLOITATION
OF NATURE
EXTERNAL COSTS
TECHNOECONOMY
MONEY ECONOMY
LIFE PATTERNS
EXTERNAL GAINS
SATISFACTIO
N
HAPPINESS,
etc.
REAL ECONOMY
EFFICIENCY =
SATISFACTION
SACRIFICE
INTERNALISING THE
EXTERNALITIES
REQUIRES A MORAL
MOBILIZATION
Tragedy of the Commons, J. S. Nørgård,
Technical University of Denmark, [email protected]
14
HAPPY PLANET INDEX, HPI
Life Satisfaction x Life Expectancy
HPI = --------------------------------------------------Ecological Footprint
=
=
=
=
=
=
28.8
41.4
61.1
56.0
22.8
16.6
for USA
for Denmark
for Bhutan
for China
for Russia
for Zimbabwe
Sustainability Workshop
Syddansk Univ. 16-17/3 2009
# 150 in the world
# 99
# 13
# 31
# 172
# 178
Tragedy of the Commons, J. S. Nørgård,
Technical University of Denmark, [email protected]
15
New York Times WAKING UP?
•
•
•
•
Tom Friedman
Op-ed columnist, New York Times
March 7, 2009
….Let’s today step out of the normal boundaries of
analysis of our economic crisis and ask a radical
question: What if the crisis of 2008 represents something
much more fundamental than a deep recession? What if
it’s telling us that the whole growth model we created
over the last 50 years is simply unsustainable
economically and ecologically and that 2008 was when
we hit the wall — when Mother Nature and the market
both said: “No more.”
• ….. And he goes on like this….
Sustainability Workshop
Syddansk Univ. 16-17/3 2009
Tragedy of the Commons, J. S. Nørgård,
Technical University of Denmark, [email protected]
16
VISION POSSIBLE !
• HOW CAN WE ENSURE EVERY HUMAN BEING A
DECENT LIFE IN A SUSTAINABLE AND
BEAUTIFUL NATURE ?
• More equity, more leisure, more moral, more …
• Less work, less consumption, less people …
• Technology alone can contribute, but can never be the
basic solution …
• The economic system must be adapted to these
goals, locally as well as globally.
Sustainability Workshop
Syddansk Univ. 16-17/3 2009
Tragedy of the Commons, J. S. Nørgård,
Technical University of Denmark, [email protected]
17
THANK YOU !
Steve Bloom
Sustainability Workshop
Syddansk Univ. 16-17/3 2009
Tragedy of the Commons, J. S. Nørgård,
Technical University of Denmark, [email protected]
18