GRADE 9 CANADIAN GEOGRAPHY

TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS

Rusty Muffler Oracle...Read the Rusty Muffler Oracle Comic StripThink/Pair/Share Brainstorm:

Answer the following...What is the Commons?What is Tragedy of the Commons?

What is the Commons?The commons are defined as the elements of

the environment - forests, atmosphere, rivers, fisheries or grazing land - that are shared, used and enjoyed by all.

What is Tragedy of the Commons?

It is a theory founded by Garret Hardin (1968).

When a resource is collectively owned by a group of people, each will exploit the resource, overusing it, and thus ultimately destroy the resource.

In other words, everyone acts as an independent, ignoring the group's collective interests in favour of their own.

Laments Terms???The Tragedy of the Commons exists when a

common resource is ruined or depleted.

Individuals do what is in their own best interest, but fail to realize their actions have a small social cost.

However, if enough people do these actions, the small costs can add up to a big (and noticeable) cost.

Real World Examples...

Overexploitation Explained...

Overexploitation:One major area of concern is in harvesting

animals in international waters. Applying the theory, one might predict that each

country will attempt to catch as many animals as possible.

This has often occurred, and has led certain species to become extinct.

E-WASTEWhat is E-Waste?

E-WASTEWhat is E-Waste?

Electronic WasteDescribes discarded electrical or electronic devices

What’s the big deal?Recycling and disposal of e-waste may involve

significant risk to workers and communities.Great care must be taken to avoid unsafe

exposure in recycling operations and leaching of material such as heavy metals from landfills and incinerator ashes.

E-WASTEWho are the main exporters of E-

Waste?North AmericaEurope

E-WASTEWhere does E-Waste end up?

Many old electronic goods gather dust in storage waiting to be reused, recycled or thrown away.Three quarters of the computers sold in the US are

stockpiled in garages and closets.

When thrown away, they end up in landfills or incinerators or are exported to Asia and Africa: GhanaNigeriaPakistan IndiaChina

E-WASTEHow did the trade evolve?

Many countries did not have the capacity to deal with the quantity of e-waste they generated or with its hazardous nature.

Began exporting the problem to developing countries where laws to protect workers and the environment are inadequate or not enforced.

Cheaper to 'recycle' waste in developing countries.

Scrap yards found they could extract valuable substances such as copper, iron, nickel and gold, during the recycling process.

E-WASTEImpact on the following...

Landfills:Toxic chemicals in electronics products can leach into

the land over time or are released into the atmosphere.

Incineration:This releases heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and

mercury into the air.

The Story of Electronics...Video: (7:47 min)

Watch the Story of ElectronicsAnswer the following questions:What does “Designed For The Dump” mean? Where do most electronics start? What risks are there to workers who make computer

chips? Finish the equation: Toxins In = ?????In the USA, how much E-Waste is disposed of each year?What does “Product Take Back” mean?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW_7i6T_H78

The Story of Electronics...What does “Designed For The Dump” mean?

Many electronic products have short-life spans, or become obsolete quickly.

Expensive to repair, and sometimes it’s difficult to find parts.

Many electronics products are cheaper to replace than to fix.

Where do most electronics start?Mines & factories

What risks are there to workers who make computer chips?40% more miscarriagesBlood/brain/kidney cancer

The Story of Electronics...Finish the equation:

Toxins In = Toxins Out

In the USA, how much E-Waste is disposed of each year?25 million tons

What does “Product Take Back” mean?Make producers responsible for their E-Waste

Real World Examples...E-Waste Hell Video: (17:44 min)Focus:

How are the west's 'recycled' TVs and computers ending up in a toxic dump in Ghana?

Questions:How is E-Waste affecting the citizens/children in

Ghana? How does the E-Waste end up in Ghana?How is E-Waste benefitting Ghana?If the E-Waste cannot be fixed, where does it end up?What is the environmental impact?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd_ZttK3PuM

Real World Examples...E-Waste in Ghana Video: (6:16 min)Focus:

After China, India, Pakistan and Ghana, this is the story of how one very broken TV managed to avoid being tested and recycled according to EU regulations and instead ended up in Nigeria as "second hand goods“

Class Discussion:What needs to be done to improve the

situation?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEmOsq7aWD8