Well sure there is the problem of atmospheric pollution and overfishing in international waters because of lack of clear regulatory jurisdiction, but the Tragedy of the Commons is always invoked as an argument against any collective approaches to problems by citing historical examples that are untrue. Commons as a historical phenomenon rarely suffered from the problem of unregulated overuse, because they were managed to avoid that problem. The problem of atmospheric pollution is that it is not handled the same way, so comparisons to historical commons are both unwarranted and only serve as a Trojan horse for private enclosure of our common resources instead of managing them properly.
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It should be nothed that the Navigable Waterways Act Rivers and Harbors Appropriation Act of 1899 is often considered the first environmental law in the US. Good to see it has ancient precedent.
- Do not taunt happy fun ball
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