Activity 4.1- Tragedy of the Commons: A Case Study

Introduction

Proposed by scientist Garrett Hardin, the “Tragedy of the Commons” is a situation that occurs when concerning the allocation of resources (Human4832, 2008) for a growing human population. When there is a limited amount of resources, but an increase in population growth, the demand for said resources will inevitably exceed the supply of them, hence where the tragedy begins. If left to their own freedom, humans will prioritize the needs of themselves over that of the many, resulting in selfish overindulgence of resources. As more and more people overindulge in resources, eventually the supply will exhaust itself, leaving no more resources for anyone. This is the problem of the tragedy of the commons. 


The Tragedy at Hand


The world’s lakes are invaluable to life on Earth due to the freshwater they provide. With most of the Earth’s water being undrinkable, the water held in these lakes make them a very important resource for humans; however, these vital bodies of water will sometimes disappear because of human negligence. 


The Great Salt Lake of Utah, one the most prominent lakes in the U.S., is currently drying up at an exponential rate. According to an article published by NPR, the Great Salt Lake is drying up quickly and is expected to be completely gone within the next 5 years if no action is taken to prevent it (Siegler, 2023). The current culprit of this issue, while initially thought to be climate change, now points to the growing population of Utah. As one of the U.S.’s most rapidly developing states, Utah’s population is booming and more resources are needed to accommodate its citizens, with the most important being water. The rivers and streams that used to flow into the Great Salt Lake have been redirected to provide water for agriculture and people in the cities, preventing the lake from replenishing itself (Siegler, 2023). Not enough water is being redirected into the lake for it to maintain itself, causing it to shrink at an exponential rate. As of 2016, the water level is at a record low and is 3.6 meters shallower than it was in 1847 (Derouin, 2017). 


Externalities 


The potential externalities, or external costs of the situation are very severe. To quickly examine the positive external costs, redirecting water from the Great Salt Lake means more water for the people of Utah. More drinking water allows for the sustainability of a larger population, as well as a greater food supply due to a good portion of that water being put towards agricultural purposes. This would allow for Utah to continue developing at its rapid rate. 


A negative externality of the current situation is that the Great Salt Lake is quickly drying, which in of itself has many negative external costs. As more water continues to disappear from the lake, the species that live there and depend on it suffer greatly. Brine flies are beginning to disappear from the lake, leaving the brine shrimp living in the lake without a food source (Siegler, 2023). With no food source, the brine shrimp population begins to decrease, leaving the birds that feed on them with little food, and this chain will continue on and have devastating effects on the entire ecological community in the area. Additionally, there will be negative economic external costs in the form of loss of industry. The brine shrimp, mineral, skiing, and any other industry that relies on the lake will suffer heavy losses as the lake continues to shrink (Siegler, 2023). Finally, the most devastating cost would be the potential air pollution. Harmful material sitting at the bottom of the lake bed is starting to become exposed due to the lake drying up. Wind sweeps up the toxic material and carries it into the sky, polluting the air and making it harmful for all life living there.  


Solutions


One solution to fix this issue would be to put in place more limitations on water usage. Passing laws and legislation that regulated water usage and enforced for more conservation of water would play a big part in saving the Great Salt Lake from drying up. If more water is conserved through carefully limiting how much is used, then more water can be directed back to the lake. This would potentially allow for the lake to replenish itself over a time period of a few years. 


Another solution would be to create more optimized agricultural techniques. A lot of the water that is redirected from the Great Salt Lake is put towards agricultural uses, so developing methods that use less water would be a good way to help prevent the lake from drying up. Like mentioned in the solution above, using less water during agricultural processes would allow for more water to be put back into the lake, allowing it to replenish itself. 


Arguments


When considering both solutions, the obvious argument for them both would be that they would help prevent the Great Salt Lake from drying out by allowing more water to be directed back into it. Allowing the lake to return to its original glory would not only save the ecosystem surrounding it, but any economic industry that relies on it. 


The argument against both solutions would be that it would inevitably slow down the development of Utah, as well potentially reduce the standard of living for the people living there. Reducing water usage for both people and agriculture would reduce the amount of resources available for the people, forcing them to live more conservatively. Less resources mean that less people can be sustained, slowing down Utah’s population boom and halting developmental progress. 


References 


  • Amendolare, N. (2017, November 21). What is the tragedy of the commons? [Video]. TED-Ed. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxC161GvMPc&feature=youtu.be

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