Few decades ago, clean water was “commons” (Hardin, 1968) to us. It was a natural resource shared by everyone and not owned by anyone. This “commons” was taken for granted to the extent that people exploit clean water without considering its finiteness. Resorts and factories dumped wastewater and ruined nearby rivers and oceans. People carelessly littered garbage and substituted the dirty water with diminishing clean water. They definitely benefited in terms of financial cost and comfort from their negligence. However, those individual interests ended up bringing severe water pollution, attacking our collective interest of public health and well-being. In this vein, water pollution is undeniably the “Tragedy of the Commons” (Hardin, 1968). Following these dire circumstances, water purification techniques and systems have been further developed and become widespread. Yet, the technical measurements have not quite fundamentally solved the problem. What is needed at this point is people’s will and practical action to improve the environment. However, merely hoping and encouraging people to do so are not enough. In order to have a steady support from people, we need a practical device for a “mutual coercion” (Hardin, 1968) to earn consent to coercion necessary to amend the situation. In this paper, I am going to address the technical and individual effort for water pollution and its limitation, and suggest a way to complement this limitation through a device on an institutional
DesJardins, (2007) discusses that a new paradigm is needed to re-conceptualize how businesses practice. He further states that a large a large portion of the world lacks the basic rights of clean waters,
The Lorax is a prime example of the concept, “Tragedy of the Commons.” In the movie we are able to see a beautiful landscape filled with animals, trees, and beautiful skies destroyed by the carelessness of the Once-ler. Although the Lorax speaks for the trees, the Once-ler’s money hungry goals blind him of his wrong doings because if he didn’t do it someone else would. In the beginning of the movie we see grass up to your chest, crows, and skies as dark as granite.
Owing to this week study, I learn the difference between water quality and water quantity, whereas tackle water pollution is a matter of utmost urgency. Like other communities, people in my country continues to trivialize the world's top environmental problem, sparse drinkable water. Hence, I want to make hay while I could, share the knowledge about water supply with my fellow peers, family members, friends, let more and more people aware of the potential water problems and then take necessary precaution to save our only planet.
Specific Purpose: The purpose of this speech is to provide a persuasive speech on the issue of water pollution and inaccessibility to clean water in third world countries and offer some plausible solutions. The three solutions are filtration systems, chlorination, and collection grids.
Among all of the resources in the world, there is one that we do not often consider to be diminishing. The masses take this resource, water, for granted. When the average person takes a single look at a world map, they see multiple blue oceans covering the Earth. But, although we are surrounded by water, our clean water reserves dwindle rapidly. In her article, “Water Works”, Cynthia Barnett attempts to bring this issue to greater light and offers her own solutions. While I agree with many of Barnett’s points, she fails to look at the arguments of her detractors to the detriment of her already flawed case.
In the activity “Tragedy of Commons” 4 people had to share a pond with each other which includes 16 fishes. The people have to fish enough fish to support their families, but cannot deplete the supply of fish to 0 (game over) in a time period of a year. If the person gets 1 fish then that person’s family starves, if the person has 2 fish then the person can use that for profit. Each remaining fish reproduces 1 new fish every year. Later each person will “get” their own private pond that they can fish from (same process/procedure). This will be easier to support the individual’s family, along with keeping the supply of the fish sufficient.
In research, we reviewed national laws and the constitutions of countries across the world, to determine how successful governments were in both acknowledging a human right to water, and enforcing it. Our findings varied, and rather than creating a comprehensive list of water laws by country, I will refer you to The Water Law and Standards Website — a joint
The water crises revolving around privatization of municipalities, and bottled water needs to be addressed in a more comprehensive approach. A more integrated solution for water should account for an adequate supply of clean water and that water can be equitably accessed worldwide. In addition, the impacts of climate on the quality and quantity of fresh water needs to be factored in. There is uncertainty in what this might look like and who would be the best manager of this. As of right now it is almost certain the water policies of today will cause geopolitical conflict in the near future. To clarify, water wars have already begun, but more conflict on a larger scale is likely to happen if policies do not change. Therefore it is urgent that water policies adjust into a more ethical framework. An important question to ponder is, “Will social change concerning water use come through technological innovation or through cultural and value change, or some combination?” This question is imperative in how one should be constructing their viewpoint for creating difference in water policy and where one should go from here.
When the subject comes to the use of the natural resources in the public space in the world, where scarcity prevails, Elinor Ostrom, the author of the book “Governing the Commons” (1990), argues that nor a totally centralized control of the common-pool resources is a solution, nor a full accessibility to everyone is a way to go either. Based on the paradox, that even though individuals are rational, by acting rationally they will likely contribute to” collectively irrational outcomes”, Ostrom critiques the three approaches that have been applied (at least in the theory) to resolve the distribution of the common-pool resources.
The tragedy of the commons and the problem of collective action are two key concepts in the world of political science. They act under the assumption that man is a rational being who will act in his own self interest. Humanity id broadly diverse meaning that each individual has their own ideas as to how society should run and how people should live.(heywood) This inevitably results in disagreement and this is where politics steps in. Aristotle described politics as the ‘master science’, ‘the activity through which human beings attempt to improve their lives and create the Good Society.’ Through the tragedy of the commons and the problem of collective action we can see how politics is essentially the ‘search for conflict resolution’
What is the one thing that all humans can agree on? Clean water. Then why are roughly 844 million people around the world living without access to clean water? (UN Water) As simple as it may seem, there are complex layers that have overlapped for generations, leading to an endless cycle of poverty. The scarcity of water contributes to issues in health, education, and poverty. Water impacts nearly every aspect of life; however, the most shocking fact is that we already have the solutions to provide safe water. The first obstacle that we must overcome is the allocation of resources. Now, more than ever, we have access to the world’s finest research and technology that could very easily end the water crisis. The solution to the water crisis starts with spreading awareness and reaching out to generous donors. Proper funding can be raised to reach the goals of charities across the globe. Sustainable clean water technology can be distributed to some of the most poverty-stricken countries in the world, such as Ethiopia, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which all have populations of over fifty percent living without improved drink water sources. (Africa Development Information) I believe we have the means to provide solutions to put an end to the water crisis, but it will require effort from donors and local communities alike. It is possible within the decade that no one will need to drink unsafe water again if we are united by this cause.
The market economy in which wellbeing is equated with wealth. It is the current economy that we have, where everything is up for sale. Where disease is caused by to much fatty food, where the natural environment is no more. It creates problems aforementioned and the following. Problems such as no community in your neighborhood, no clean air, malls everywhere, and poverty.
In today’s society the value of water is greatly underappreciated, this is probably due to the lack of education across the globe. We abuse water as if it is an infinite resource, while at the same time not individually being responsible for solutions to the waste of water. In this essay I will provide a summary of the chapter that was assigned to me. I will also discuss the chapter by focusing on its core argument, explaining how supporting arguments are constructed around the core argument, and describing what kinds of evidence are used to support these lines of argumentation. The chapter that I was assigned was chapter five, which was the topic of water.
Garrett Hardin published in Psychology Today in September 1974. This passage is an excerpt from his popular paper “The Tragedy of the Commons” as a warning that overpopulation was dangerous due to how limited Earth’s resources are. This theory is reflected in Hardin’s thesis that the rich should do nothing to help the people of poor nations and turn away those trying to come in. Hardin used the imagery of a lifeboat almost filled in a sea full of drowning people to pose and answer a single question, “what should the lifeboat passengers do?” (290). Hardin's answer was to defend the boat against all trying to board. If anyone felt guilty about this course of action they should feel free to swap places with a drowning man and give them their
Water is a human right, not a commodity. It is the essence of life, sustaining every living being on the planet. Without it we would have no plants, no animals, no people. However, while water consumption doubles every twenty years our water sources are being depleted, polluted and exploited by multinational corporations. Water privatization has been promoted by corporations and international lending institutions as the solution to the global water crises but the only one’s who benefit from water privatization are investors and international banks. The essential dilemma of privatization is that the profit interests of private water utilities ultimately jeopardizes the safeguarding of the human right to water. Access to clean, sufficient