Tragedy of the Commons: The Lorax meets the Dakota Access Pipeline
The tragedy of the commons is an economic problem popularized by Garrett Hardin in the late 1960s. This widely accepted theory states that “every individual tries to reap the greatest benefit from a given resource. As the demand for the resource overwhelms the supply, every individual who consumes an additional unit directly harms others who can no longer enjoy the benefits.” (Investopedia) This theme of greed is present throughout many modern day stories, such as Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax, a children’s book highlighting the dangers humans pose to the environment, as well real life scenarios, such as the Dakota Access Pipeline, a controversial underground oil-bearing pipeline …show more content…
These two examples, though different in nature, relate to Hardin’s theory of the tragedy of commons by promoting themes of self-interest, limited resources, and sacrifice.
In The Tragedy of the Commons, by Garrett Hardin, humans putting their own self-interest before the good of their community is referenced multiple times. On page 2, Hardin describes the growing problem with overpopulation, discussing how, in his mind, it would seem that parents who have more children would be less capable of giving their children the proper care that a parent with fewer children could. Hardin believes that this would cause them to leave fewer descendants in the long run, however, he then goes on to discuss that since “our society is deeply committed to the ‘welfare state’,” this can never be the case. The welfare state he describes here is the help one may receive from either the government or other human beings if they cannot raise their children themselves. He relates this example to the tragedy of the commons and self interest by insinuating that humans have reached ‘overpopulation’ due to people breeding freely, without thinking of the negative effects it could have on the economy or the world. Though this would not be a problem if it were only a few families …show more content…
If you look at the original tragedy of the commons example of grazing cows, you understand that if every farmer tries to maximize their profits by buying another cow and, thus, overgrazing the land, eventually there will be no more grass for the cows to graze at all. In The Lorax, the Once-ler, who has profited tremendously off of selling items made of Truffula, comes face to face with a harsh reality when he looks outside and realizes that he has cut down the last standing Truffula tree. Prior to this realization, the Once-ler was too self-absorbed and greedy to pay attention to the limited supply of trees in which he was killing at such a remarkable pace. He did not care that he had forced the Brown Bar-ba-loots, the Swomee-Swans, and the Humming-Fish out of their homes. After the Once-ler realizes there is a limited supply, and that his actions affect more than just him, it is too late for him to do anything to fix it. The Dakota Access Pipeline does not necessarily have a ‘finite amount of resources’ to be dealt with, rather it focuses on the possibility of harming or ruining a large resource that would have a large impact on many people, particularly the Standing Rock Sioux. According to Time Magazine, “The pipeline would travel underneath the Missouri River, the primary drinking water source for the Standing Rock Sioux, a tribe of around 10,000 with
The tragedy of the commons is an economic problem popularized by Garrett Hardin in the late 1960s. This widely accepted theory states that “every individual tries to reap the greatest benefit from a given resource. As the demand for the resource overwhelms the supply, every individual who consumes an additional unit directly harms others who can no longer enjoy the benefits.” (Investopedia) This theme of greed is present throughout many modern day stories, such as Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax, a children’s book highlighting the dangers humans pose to the environment, as well real life scenarios, such as the Dakota Access Pipeline, a controversial underground oil-bearing pipeline …show more content…
These two examples, though different in nature, relate to Hardin’s theory of the tragedy of commons by promoting themes of self-interest, limited resources, and sacrifice.
In The Tragedy of the Commons, by Garrett Hardin, humans putting their own self-interest before the good of their community is referenced multiple times. On page 2, Hardin describes the growing problem with overpopulation, discussing how, in his mind, it would seem that parents who have more children would be less capable of giving their children the proper care that a parent with fewer children could. Hardin believes that this would cause them to leave fewer descendants in the long run, however, he then goes on to discuss that since “our society is deeply committed to the ‘welfare state’,” this can never be the case. The welfare state he describes here is the help one may receive from either the government or other human beings if they cannot raise their children themselves. He relates this example to the tragedy of the commons and self interest by insinuating that humans have reached ‘overpopulation’ due to people breeding freely, without thinking of the negative effects it could have on the economy or the world. Though this would not be a problem if it were only a few families …show more content…
If you look at the original tragedy of the commons example of grazing cows, you understand that if every farmer tries to maximize their profits by buying another cow and, thus, overgrazing the land, eventually there will be no more grass for the cows to graze at all. In The Lorax, the Once-ler, who has profited tremendously off of selling items made of Truffula, comes face to face with a harsh reality when he looks outside and realizes that he has cut down the last standing Truffula tree. Prior to this realization, the Once-ler was too self-absorbed and greedy to pay attention to the limited supply of trees in which he was killing at such a remarkable pace. He did not care that he had forced the Brown Bar-ba-loots, the Swomee-Swans, and the Humming-Fish out of their homes. After the Once-ler realizes there is a limited supply, and that his actions affect more than just him, it is too late for him to do anything to fix it. The Dakota Access Pipeline does not necessarily have a ‘finite amount of resources’ to be dealt with, rather it focuses on the possibility of harming or ruining a large resource that would have a large impact on many people, particularly the Standing Rock Sioux. According to Time Magazine, “The pipeline would travel underneath the Missouri River, the primary drinking water source for the Standing Rock Sioux, a tribe of around 10,000 with