ACTIVITY #1: TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS (10 POINTS)
"Geography is the study of earth as the home of people" - Yi-Fu Tuan, 1991
Knowing about the physical geography of the planet is important for every serious student of the planet because the natural processes of the earth (which is what the study of physical geography encompasses) affect the distribution of resources, the conditions of human settlement, and have resulted in a plethora of varied impacts to human populations throughout the millennia. Since the earth is the only home to humans, by studying our planet, we humans and residents of the planet earth can be better informed to help take care of our only home … something we haven't always done well.
Immigrants to New England in the 17th century formed villages in which they had privately owned homesteads and gardens, but they also set aside community-owned pastures, called commons, where all villagers' livestock could graze. Settlers had an incentive to avoid overusing their private lands, so they would remain productive in the future. However, this self-interested stewardship of private lands did not extend to the commons. As a result, the commons were overgrazed and degenerated to the point that they were no longer able to support villagers' livestock. This failure of private incentives to provide adequate maintenance of public resources is known to economists as "the tragedy of the commons" (TOC).
The tragedy of the commons is one of the most important topics in the human-earth relationship. Many resources – clean air, biodiversity, fresh water – are available to many people, and when resources are shared and limited (though potentially renewable), those resources are often exploited. This is due to the fact that the benefit to one person of using more of the resource outweighs the cost to that one person of the resource's overuse. Each person looks out for his own interests, and succumbs to the logic that "If I don't use the resource, then someone else will. I might as well get the benefit."
Contemporary society has a number of current examples of TOC: the depletion of fish stocks in international waters, congestion on urban highways and the rise of resistant diseases due to careless use of antibiotics. Learning to overcome our natural tendency to overuse common resources is one of the most significant challenges we face in working to improve our physical environment.
In Activity #1 – to help you understand the concept of and recognize situations that lead to TOC – you will play the Fishing Game. The goal of the Fishing Game is to help you understand why companies that profit from shared resources nearly always overexploit them and which management strategies might help sustain them while still providing a long term profit. (This is not a rant against the fishing industry but rather one example of what can lead to a TOC situation.)
THE FISHING GAME MODEL
[I've given you some basic instructions below. They won't make much sense until you start the game but – trust me – you'll catch on quickly.]
You must have the shockwave plug in to play the game. If you don't have it, you can get it here.
Skim through the Garrett Hardin article, Tragedy of the Commons, in which the concept
was first used. If Hardin's article is a little deep for you, try Ryan Somma's article, Tragedy of the Commons Explained with Smurfs.
Watch the 7-minute
video tutorial.
All instructions are available
during the game itself but if you prefer to have a copy before you play the game, you can download the instructions as a PDF document.
Access the game by going to the
Fishing Game Login Screen.
At the login screen, use the Sign in for a Class button and the following access code.
L98CKXKT3CHKV7T2
You will play the game four times. At the beginning of each, you will choose one
of four available scenarios. I suggest you start with the first scenario
and play all four in order.
Follow the screen instructions to set the game parameters.
For all scenarios but the first, use the Planning/Theory tool to determine the best parameters.
After you finish each scenario, you
must click the Finish Game button in order for me to access your results. If you do not, you won't get credit for the game unless you replay that scenario.
Notes:
Use the Planning/Theory tool to find out the optimum number of ships to build and send fishing, to make the most money. The number of ships that you enter is the total of ships sent fishing by all 3 fishing companies. You don't have control over how many ships your competitors build and send fishing, though.
The game takes about an hour to complete. If you want to stop playing and finish up later, you can save the game status at the end of a scenario. When you log in later, with the same email address and access code, you can continue a game in progress or start a new one.
Once you have completed all four scenarios, write a summary of what you learned that includes the following.
What is the basic idea of the Tragedy of the Commons?
Beyond commercial / corporate interests, what shared resources compete / conflict with long-term human goals, such as economic growth? Discuss some examples.
When we overuse shared resources, are there broader consequences for the population as a whole? Explain.
Make specific and detailed connections to the course content. Demonstrate that you understand the assigned material and are able to apply it.
Be careful to use correct spelling and grammar.
[NOTE: I award some of the points for
Activity #1 based on the summary you send. I award some based on your completion
of all four scenarios in the game. Remember that you must
click the Finish Game
button after each scenario in order for me to access your results. If you do
not, you won't get credit for the game unless you replay any missing scenario.]
By the deadline shown in the Course Schedule on the main page of the syllabus:
Send your summary containing the items requested in the body of a new email to dramyglenn@earthlink.net.
Put only your name and Activity #1 at the beginning of your email.
Be careful to use the correct subject line. If you are not positive you know the correct subject line, go back and read your syllabus carefully. Emails with incorrect subject lines will not reach me. At best, you'll correct your mistake later and your assignment will be late. At worst, your assignment will never reach me and you'll receive no points for it.
Late summaries / game completions lose one point per day late, including weekends and holidays.
READ THE FOLLOWING SECTION FROM THE MARGIN NOTES.
