sábado, 26 de marzo de 2016

Commons tragedy and indiscriminate whaling

Indiscriminate hunting of whales in the Antarctic-Tragedy of the commons



Garret Hardin (1968) proposed the study "The tragedy of the commons" featuring the story of a pasture open to all. It is assumed that each herdsman will try to keep the common pasture cattle as many as he possibly can. There will be no problems with this behavior when tribal wars, poaching, and disease keep the numbers of people and animals below the carrying capacity of the land. The day may not work this regulating agent, when there is social stability, a tragedy is generated.

How? Every shperd, a rational being, try to maximize their profit. Consciously or unconsciously, he asks, what is the benefit to me of adding one more animal to my herd? The utility has one negative and one positive component.

1. Positive: It depends on the number of animals where the herdsman receives all the proceeds from the sale, the positive utility is nearly +1.

2. Negative; It depends on the additional overgrazing created by one more animal. As the effects of overgrazing are shared by all the herdsmen, the negative utility of any decision made by a herdsman is only a fraction of -1.

Therefore, the rational herdsman concludes that the only sensible course for him is to add another animal to his herd, and another. When everyone thinks alike, tragedy occurs because the intention of increasing livestock unlimitedly collides with the reality of a limited world. Ruin is the destination of all who seek the greatest personal gain, believing in freedom of common resources and infinite capacity to support human actions.

Now the validity of the "tragedy of the commons" is in question, but for the case that interests us, is still in force (Note 1)

Currently, the world's oceans are devastated by the validity of the principle of common resources; by the belief that "freedom of the seas" gives right to operate without control on "inexhaustible resources of the oceans," even knowing that this behavior leads to extinction or degradation to all species of fish and whales.


Japan is the "shepherd" who believes that whaling rate as it may not affect others. The Japanese do not hesitate to hunt even species that common sense should be respected, pregnant females and calves to allow restocking. The rationale is to obtain the maximum weight to ensure the selloff.



But this rationality is spurious because it was found that by ethical pressures of the world, the Japanese have markedly reduced preference for whale meat. In addition the false Institute of Cetacean Research has recognized that just sold 25% of the meat. The argument that eating whale meat is part of Japanese culture is no longer living. So why so avidly by overhunting? They do feel the sickening passion wayward hunters in Africa pay thousands of dollars to kill a lion in a national reserve and take some pictures?

It adds to this inconsistency, ethical condemnation of the cruel methods and indiscriminate hunting, the International Court of The Hague, a supranational organization, in 2014 banned Japanese whaling grounds that rely on rules a scientific seudoprograma JARPA. In addition to cruel, predators are liars and mock the international community.

In March 2016, Japanese fishing hunted 333 whales, where 200 pregnant females, with the tragic situation that 75% of the meat of these animals will not be bought by the Japanese. Why and for 75% waste?

The following figure shows as "false rationality" of this "pastor" affects the future welfare of others "shepherds" in this case pro be the only ones with such behavior (other countries have fleets or motivation to do but if they could and they did the tragedy would be fulfilled, ruin). High profit, beyond tolerable in the short term for Japanese affects the long-term benefit of others including themselves.


In the short term, the excess profits wins Japan is very high for being the only country. Over time, this margin is reduced. If you continue with the predatory practice that undermines the potential for recovery of whales (the hunting of females and calves), the overall benefit for all is greatly reduced in the future. The period of growth and maturation of whales is not measured in weeks or months, but in years

Fortunately no more countries like Japan, with three or four like them, whales  would be history or significant reduction would have caused severe damage or alter the ecosystem.

Truly "scientific reasons". Business and money




Video showing the decision of the Hague  Court  banning japanese pseudoscientific  hunting  of  whales.


Whales reading is recommended: Their Emerging Right to Life
Anthony D'Amato, Northwestern University School of Law, and Sudhir K. Chopra, Cambridge University East Asia Forum (2010) where an impeccable legal support that helps to question the Japanese practices exposed.

Note 1
The theory of the "tragedy of the commons" their works

When you land, resource or common good, is not the possession of someone, is used regardless despite the resulting disadvantages. They are in the position to appropriate the profits, wood and hunting the forests, fish, whales in the Antarctic, they do not worry about the aftereffects of their exploitation. Soil erosion, depletion of non-renewable resources, species extinction are external costs, externalities, which are not included in its calculations of income and production. In fishing and hunting them do not hesitate to use methods that harm the ability to restock supplies fishing or hunting (hunting pregnant whale, whale calves or calves).

The solution of the tragedy (the situation that leads to overexploitation and exhaustion "irrational" use of the resource) has been the subject of discussions. The proposed solutions depend on the implementation of measures restricting access to resources controlled by any superior to the same community or some external agent (national or international organizations, etc.) authority restriction.

 Elinor Ostrom (Nobel Prize in Economics 2009) says that the belief that common property is poorly managed, it is comprised results showing better results than those predicted by previous theories (including Garret Hardin). He says that resource users frequently develop sophisticated mechanisms for decision and implementation of rules for handling conflicts of interest and relies on rules that promote positive results. "

Along with Ostrom, some claim that the "tragedy of the commons" does not correspond to reality and that the solution does not necessarily require external actors to impose rationality because the community is able to find their own solutions. Apparently Ostrom and Hardin's detractors are not aware of their existence and their Japanese practices whaling for their pseudo-scientific projects.

References

Garret Hardin (1968) La tragedia de los comunes
Artículo fue publicado como “The Tragedy of Commons" en Science, v. 162 (1968), pp. 1243-1248. Gaceta Ecológica, núm. 37, Instituto Nacional de Ecología, México, 1995. http://www.ine.gob.mx/

Japan kills 200 pregnant whales
Saturday 26 March 2016 16:53 BST

Tribunal ordena a Japón frenar temporalmente caza de ballenas
La Haya, Holanda (31/mar/2014)

Tragedia de los comunes


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