The Commons and Lifeboat as Guides for International Ecological Policy

Abstract

Biologist Garrett Hardin is well known for his writings on the social dimensions of environmental problems. His widely read essay on “the tragedy of the commons” has become a reference point for formulating and evaluating environmental policies. More recently his advocacy of “lifeboat ethics,” which concludes that food assistance should be denied less-developed countries in the interest of limiting population, has evoked considerable controversy. Hardin's theories are first described, then critically analyzed. Questions pertaining to the definition of carrying capacity and the factors that impact on population growth trends are asked in identifying more humane alternatives to lifeboat ethics. The implications of a logical extension of his policies to include trade as well as aid, and nonrenewable resources as well as food are explored to assess the practicality of enforced self-reliance as an approach to resource management. International economic interdependence and the vulnerability of industrialized societies to terrorism and sabotage are also cited as reasons why the destiny of the poor and hungry of the world cannot be ignored by the rich. A “one-world” approach to global environmental policy is presented as a polar opposite to lifeboat ethics. The most practical strategy for coping with environmental problems may lie somewhere between the extremes of lifeboat ethics and one-worldism.