Topic six Flashcards
Interdependence
Mutual Dependence
Global Common
An area that is not owned by one nation state, instead it is owned by all of humanity.
What are the 4 main global commons
The Atmosphere
The High Seas
Outer Space
Antarctica
What have people been calling the fifth global common
The internet
Why is protecting the global common now hard
Historically, access to the global commons was much harder. In the 1900s the first aeroplane was built.
Greater development of technology and science has given us easier access to the commons
The greater scarcity of resources has meant we may need to rely on the global commons more - increase the pressure
Tragedy of the commons
The shared resources in the commons may be exploited by one nation state.
For example, if one country takes more fish from the seas compared to another country they will be making more money. Wealth = power
Planting the flag on the moon - America
Laws of the commons
High Sea - 1982 United Nations Convections of the law of the high sea
Atmosphere - 1987 Montreal Protocol banning substances that deplete the Ozone Layer
Antarctica - The Antarctic Treaty System
Space =- 1979 moon treaty
What does the international community recognise
The need to protect the commons
Why is protecting the commons sort of unreliable
So far the protection of the global commons has been successful, however this does rely on the goodwill of each nation state to not exploit the commons
Not been successful in the past. Paris Agreement many countries signed up to the kyoto target however did not meet it.
Trump may be seen as a positive here - he knew he wouldn’t do it so dropped out. Honest?
