The failures of public policy and the role of the individual…

Justin TuckerDivision of Politics, Administration and Justice

California State University, Fullerton

The tragedy of the commons

• Garrett Hardin (1968)

Why shouldn’t I graze more cows?

Governing the commons

• Economic and Political Solutions– Central Government control• Punishment for violations

– Privatization of the resource• Individual owners who protect their investment

– Negotiated agreements and institutions• All stakeholders invited to participate• Oversight through information sharing

Governance problems for common pool resources

• Necessary scientific information:– What is the true nature of the resource?• Quantities and qualities• Important variables• Causal relationships• Magnitudes of change

– How certain are we about long term outcomes and effects?

– What is the optimal management strategy?

Science in the Policy Process

• Scientists– Solve interesting

problems• Grow knowledge• Verify truths• Ask more questions

– Test hypotheses at varying levels of certainty• More tests mean more or

less certainty– Rely on their reputation

for rigorous research

• Policymakers– Wage civilized war

• Public policies• Political power

– Exert social pressure on institutions and citizens• Attempt to shape behavior

– Rely on their reputation for pleasing constituents

Policies are rarely optimal according to scientific standards

Public policies

• May be loosely based on science• Mostly political– Bargaining– Interest group pressure– Constituent needs– Social acceptance

• Cannot change as fast as the current state of science• May not have significant monitoring or sanctioning

provisions– Specifically, international conventions

Individuals

• Why shouldn’t I graze more cows?– Translation: why should I change my behavior to

help with climate change?• Answer:– Slight initial discomfort in exchange for immediate

benefits– Long term cost reductions– Cultural shift must proceed regulatory shift

Simple things

• Transportation– Bike instead of drive– Public transportation

• Walk the stairs• Eating– Regionally grown foods– Plant a small garden– Eat less

• Hang your clothes dry• Be creative

Elevators

• Energy use– Average house

• 12,000 kWh/year– Average elevator

• 15,000 kWh/year• A one-floor round trip uses as much

energy as needed to charge one cell phone– A trip from the ground floor of University

Hall to my floor and back could have charged 5 cell phones

• Why not use the stairs?

Escalators

• Energy use– Average escalator

• 150,000 kWh/year• 10x the electricity of an

elevator• Not affected by load• Technology is 100 years old

– The USA’s 30,000 escalators use enough energy to power 375,000 homes each year!

McCarthy Hall

• Six escalators that run all day long.• 900,000 kWh/year• Resultant pollution*– 675,900 lbs CO2/year– 588 lbs NOx/year– 504 lbs SO2/year

• To prevent students from clogging the stairs?

*determined using the EPA energy profiler and the average escalator energy use profile

Food

Clothing• Washing– 90% of energy used

in heating the water• Drying– A $20 drying rack will

pay for itself in 20-27 dryer loads of clothes

– Dry air is free– Clothes last longer

Public Policy and the Individual

• Public policies – Balance science with public pressures• May not be enough• Will likely fall short of scientific prescriptions

– Largely based on currently acceptable cultural norms• Individuals– Have an impact!– Needed to change the culture– Can reap significant benefits

What can I do?

• Think before you act• Walk – To the grocery store– Up the stairs

• Talk– To people you know– Ask for suggestions

• Be active– Participate politically– Point out ways to save

energy• Do– Create your own

solutions