The Oil Drum

146 comments on Conservation in the food chain

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

Yankee on March 27, 2006 - 1:08pm

Prof. Goose tackled the tragedy of the commons way back when. Maybe he'll be able to update someday for the new readership.

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

Don Sailorman on March 27, 2006 - 2:28pm

Thank you. By all means, let Professor Goose (or somebody) do an update.

BTW, Hardin's thinking is consistent with both capitalism and mainstream economic thinking, because he insists that prices should reflect all costs, not just "accounting" or "internal" costs but also external costs as well.

I know of no economist (no matter how disreputable) who claims that "external" costs should not be taken account of in decision-making. The problem comes in how to implement the idea of internalizing external costs, and also how to implement "mutual coercion, mutually agreed upon."

Obviously, markets cannot function where the commons is destroyed--and that applies not only to population increase but to pollution and to overuse of any and all natural resources.

Unfortunately, Hardin's rigorous scientific conclusions are rejected by politically correct Democrats and both religious-right and "free-market-fat-cat" Republicans. That is one reason I seldom vote for either members of either two major parties--because they both fail, and fail equally, to come to grips with the most fundamental problems.

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

Will on March 27, 2006 - 6:47pm

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

Will on March 27, 2006 - 6:54pm

I hope the issue returns to the forum. I just read "Turning Sludge into Gold" behind WSJ's paywall. It's about the tar sand development. It made me wonder what will be expected of us in the U.S. going forward with coal development given what Canada is prepared to do, is doing, to this wilderness.

Comments can no longer be added to this story.

The contents below are paid advertisements. Their appearance does not imply an endorsement by The Oil Drum.

“The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close. In its place we are entering a period of consequences…”

—Winston Churchill, November 1936