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

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