TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS
GRADE 9 CANADIAN GEOGRAPHY
Rusty Muffler Oracle...
 Read the Rusty Muffler Oracle Comic Strip
 Think/Pair/Share Brainstorm:
 Answer the following...
 What is the Commons?
 What is Tragedy of the Commons?
What is the Commons?
 The commons are defined as the elements of the environment
- forests, atmosphere, rivers, fisheries or grazing land - that are
shared, used and enjoyed by all.
What is Tragedy of the Commons?
 It is a theory founded by Garret Hardin (1968).
 When a resource is collectively owned by a group of people,
each will exploit the resource, overusing it, and thus ultimately
destroy the resource.
 In other words, everyone acts as an independent, ignoring
the group's collective interests in favour of their own.
Laments Terms???
 The Tragedy of the Commons exists when a common resource is
ruined or depleted.
 Individuals do what is in their own best interest, but fail to realize
their actions have a small social cost.
 However, if enough people do these actions, the small costs can
add up to a big (and noticeable) cost.
Real World Examples...
Overexploitation Explained...
 Overexploitation:
 One major area of concern is in harvesting animals in international
waters.
 Applying the theory, one might predict that each country will
attempt to catch as many animals as possible.
 This has often occurred, and has led certain species to become
extinct.
E-WASTE
 What is E-Waste?
E-WASTE
 What is E-Waste?
 Electronic Waste
 Describes discarded electrical or electronic devices
 What’s the big deal?
 Recycling and disposal of e-waste may involve significant risk to
workers and communities.
 Great care must be taken to avoid unsafe exposure in recycling
operations and leaching of material such as heavy metals from
landfills and incinerator ashes.
E-WASTE
 Who are the main exporters of E-Waste?
 North America
 Europe
E-WASTE
 Where does E-Waste end up?
 Many old electronic goods gather dust in storage waiting to be
reused, recycled or thrown away.
 Three quarters of the computers sold in the US are stockpiled in garages and
closets.
 When thrown away, they end up in landfills or incinerators or are
exported to Asia and Africa:
 Ghana
 Nigeria
 Pakistan
 India
 China
E-WASTE
 How did the trade evolve?
 Many countries did not have the capacity to deal with the quantity of e-waste
they generated or with its hazardous nature.
 Began exporting the problem to developing countries where laws to protect
workers and the environment are inadequate or not enforced.
 Cheaper to 'recycle' waste in developing countries.
 Scrap yards found they could extract valuable substances such as copper, iron,
nickel and gold, during the recycling process.
E-WASTE
 Impact on the following...
 Landfills:
 Toxic chemicals in electronics products can leach into the land over time or
are released into the atmosphere.
 Incineration:
 This releases heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury into the air.
The Story of Electronics...
 Video: (7:47 min)
 Watch the Story of Electronics
http://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=sW_7i6T_H78
 Answer the following questions:
 What does “Designed For The Dump” mean?
 Where do most electronics start?
 What risks are there to workers who make computer chips?
 Finish the equation:Toxins In = ?????
 In the USA, how much E-Waste is disposed of each year?
 What does “Product Take Back” mean?
The Story of Electronics...
 What does “Designed For The Dump” mean?
 Many electronic products have short-life spans, or become obsolete quickly.
 Expensive to repair, and sometimes it’s difficult to find parts.
 Many electronics products are cheaper to replace than to fix.
 Where do most electronics start?
 Mines & factories
 What risks are there to workers who make computer chips?
 40% more miscarriages
 Blood/brain/kidney cancer
The Story of Electronics...
 Finish the equation:
 Toxins In = Toxins Out
 In the USA, how much E-Waste is disposed of each year?
 25 million tons
 What does “ProductTake Back” mean?
 Make producers responsible for their E-Waste
Real World Examples...
 E-Waste Hell Video: (17:44 min)
 Focus:
 How are the west's 'recycled' TVs and computers ending up in a toxic
dump in Ghana?
 Questions:
 How is E-Waste affecting the citizens/children in Ghana?
 How does the E-Waste end up in Ghana?
 How is E-Waste benefitting Ghana?
 If the E-Waste cannot be fixed, where does it end up?
 What is the environmental impact?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd_ZttK3PuM
Real World Examples...
 E-Waste in Ghana Video: (6:16 min)
 Focus:
 After China, India, Pakistan and Ghana, this is the story of how
one very broken TV managed to avoid being tested and recycled
according to EU regulations and instead ended up in Nigeria as
"second hand goods“
 Class Discussion:
 What needs to be done to improve the situation?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEmOsq7aWD8