The Hindu, one of the main newspapers in India, has published an invited opinion piece by sustainability scientist Marco Janssen. In the piece, Janssen argues that we need to facilitate the self-governance of local commons, but provide safeguards at various levels.
When we want to manage shared resources, we need to balance both private and public interests. Global commons refer to shared resources that cannot be managed within national jurisdictions. The spread of zoonotic diseases like COVID-19; greenhouse gas emissions; biodiversity reduction; overfishing; and the accumulation of plastic waste are some of the problems within the scope of global commons.
To manage our global commons, we need to facilitate and accommodate the self-governance of local commons, but provide safeguards at different levels to avoid exploitation and manage risks. Governing the global commons is the defining challenge for current and future generations.
Janssen is a professor in ASU’s College of Global Futures and president of the International Association for the Study of the Commons. Read the full article at The Hindu.