Question

Nancy Folbre, an economist at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, argued, "We must take responsibility for governing the commons-not just the quaint oldfashioned village green, but things that cannot easily be privatized-[such as] clean air." Do you agree that clean air is like a common pasture in England in the Middle Ages? Briefly explain.

Short answer

Yes, clean air can be viewed as a 'commons' because it is a shared resource that can be depleted or spoiled through overuse and misuse, much like a common pasture in Medieval England. Actions such as pollution can affect the quality of air for everyone, similar to how overgrazing could spoil the common pasture for all villagers.

Step-by-step solution

Understand the metaphor of 'the commons'

The metaphor of 'the commons' refers to a shared resource. In Medieval England, 'the commons' referred to common pastures where everyone was allowed to graze their livestock. Overuse by any individual could cause depletion or spoilage, impacting everyone. This concept is often referred to as the tragedy of the commons.

Agree or Disagree with the statement

Whether you agree or disagree with the statement is subjective and depends on your understanding of the issue. Do you view clean air as a shared resource that can be depleted or spoiled by overuse or misuse?

Explain your position

Based on your understanding, provide a brief explanation for your position. For instance, if you agree with the statement, you could argue that clean air is indeed a shared resource that can be spoiled by actions such as pollution. Similar to the commons, the misuse of one party affects everyone.

Key concepts

Common Pastures

In Medieval England, the concept of 'common pastures' was at the heart of community livelihoods. These pastures were lands where any member of the community could graze their livestock. This system relied on an unspoken agreement that each herder would use the common land responsibly to avoid overgrazing, which could lead to the land's degradation and diminish its usefulness for the entire community. Unfortunately, without formal regulations, self-interest often led to overuse, resulting in what is known today as the 'tragedy of the commons.'

This tragedy occurs when individuals, acting independently and rationally according to each one's self-interest, behave contrary to the best interests of the whole group by depleting a shared resource. The problem is that the benefits of overuse are enjoyed by the individual, while the costs are shared by all. In this sense, overgrazing the common pasture is an excellent example of a much larger class of resource management problems that communities across the ages and geographical landscapes have confronted.

Understanding the dynamics of common pastures is critical to grasping broader environmental issues, including the management of public goods in modern contexts.

Clean Air as a Shared Resource

Clean air, much like the common pastures of old, is a shared resource with a caveat: it’s even more vulnerable because it is not confined to a visible or tangible area. Air transcends boundaries and borders, making its management and preservation a global concern. The same principles that apply to the tragedy of the commons for common pastures can be applied to clean air. Clean air can be considered a common resource because it is not 'owned,' but its quality affects every individual.

Actions such as industrial emissions, vehicle exhaust, and deforestation contribute to air pollution. These actions by individuals or corporations result in air quality deterioration for everyone. The global reach of air pollution means even those who do not contribute significantly to the problem still suffer its consequences. Societies across the world face the challenge of how to effectively protect this vital resource-encouraging responsible use and discouraging practices that compromise air quality.

Governance of Public Goods

Governing public goods requires overcoming collective action problems inherent in the tragedy of the commons. Public goods are resources that are non-excludable and non-rivalrous, meaning individuals cannot be effectively excluded from use, and one person's use does not reduce its availability to others. Clean air, public parks, and national defense are examples of such goods.

Governance can take various forms, from government regulations and policies to community-based management or a combination of both. The key challenge is to design systems that incentivize conservation while penalizing overuse. For clean air, this might mean enforcing emission standards, taxing pollutants, or incentivizing green technologies. Effective governance must walk the fine line between protecting the resource and allowing for its beneficial use by society.

Environmental Economics

Environmental economics is a field that addresses the economic aspects of environmental issues, focusing on the allocation, distribution, and utilization of natural resources. It blends economic theory with ecological concerns, aiming to find a balance between human economic systems and the limits of the natural world.

Crucial within this discipline is the concept of externalities, which are costs or benefits arising from a transaction that affects individuals who are not participants in the transaction. Pollution is a prime example of a negative externality, where the cost is not borne by the polluter but by society at large. Environmental economists study ways to internalize such externalities, meaning making polluters accountable for the environmental damage they cause. Tools like tradable permits for pollution, carbon taxes, and subsidies for renewable energy are economic mechanisms designed to address environmental challenges, like the tragedy of the commons on a global scale.

By factoring in scarcity, sustainability, and environmental impact, environmental economics plays a critical role in shaping policies that influence not only economic outcomes but also environmental health and societal well-being.