The second missive in our simple Climate Charter campaign, launched this month as part of the good ship MMAP’s value-based business.

This fortnight, this Philosopher-in-Residence wants to introduce to you some important climate-related third-party philosophy.

The late professor Garrett Hardin put forward his view of the “Tragedy of the Commons”. I’d strongly implore you to check out this important piece in full.

In bitesize version, Hardin identified how herds and individuals behave with regards to resources held in common. With regards environmental issues, this can be represented as such:

People don’t like storing waste in their home – who would want to look at that all the time?

People in general can understand their own resource perspectives because they can see them – ie I can buy £20 worth of food with the money I have in my pocket.

Whilst people can understand the two above principles outside their own domains, the level at which they actively care/behave in line with the confines is dramatically reduced when related to “the commons” rather than “one’s own”.

So, people in general are much more OK with sending waste to landfill, consuming finite environmental resources, emitting carbon, even though this is obviously a path that is not in anyone's interest. That is the tragedy of the commons.

This theory was published in the 1970s and I first learned about it in 2002.

The challenge remains to behave collectively, as one would individually. As our Climate Charter and tips everyone can follow continue to be introduced, I’m going to be challenging myself to do just that.

Next fortnight, I’ll be musing On Listening. I hope you will be.

Please get in touch with any particular aspects of this subject you’d like me to write about.

In the meantime,

Happy Planning

PS If you want some other free tips for your business life, check out the Working Well blog – out fortnightly on Wednesdays, courtesy of Make Me A Plan’s Productivity Expert, Penny Le Kelly. Browse the latest edition here:

https://www.makemeaplan.com/news/how-your-business-can-support-our-armed-forces/