general class note concepts

assumptions of Hardin’s tragedy of the commons

humans are selfish & short-sighted, commons are unmanaged & freely accessible, only solutions are privatization or centralized/hierarchical regulation

critiques of Hardin’s tragedy of the commons

simplistic assumptions about human nature, communal goods =/= open access (lacks historical context), importance of system for controlling access

Elinor Ostrom requirements for cooperation

generational stakes, similar goals/shared values, trust, local knowledge & understanding institutional diversity, communication, social shame/encouragement

what can help us go beyond (in scale, complexity, & enforcement)

social ties, rules, incentives, consequences

causes of environmental problems

population, economic systems, history of domination & colonialism

concerns about environment in 60s & 70s

Malthusian thoughts about population growth, carrying capacity, etc.

outsourcing

when we put factories in other places, use fuel from other places, etc. to grow OUR economy, in effect “hiding” resource use & pollution

ecosocialism

publicly owned means of production, sharing economy, not guaranteed to reframe human-nature dichotomy though

systems of domination that contribute to environmental degradation

humanity, colonialism & imperialism, racism, patriarchy - lost data, invisible labor, etc.