Saving energy - public good or commons dilemma?
by Baila
Is saving energy a dilemma of the commons or an example of public goods? I know that in common dilemmas we need to decide how much to use from a common resource, whereas in a public goods situation we contribute in self interest to a common benefit. How do we match these with saving energy?
Answer from Green Energy Efficient Homes
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The commons dilemma is a type of social dilemma where people's selfish short-term interests conflict with long-term group interests and the common good. In the public goods dilemma, our self-interest is supposed to lead us to actions that achieve our common or group interest. Thus on the one hand (commons dilemma) what's immediately beneficial for you may be bad for others, while on the other (public goods) what's good for you is good for everyone.
I view saving energy as an example of a public good. The tragedy of the commons involves people over-utilizing a shared resource; in this sense, energy is one commons, the environment or atmosphere another, and using too much energy depletes the source commons (energy sources) and destroys the environmental / atmospheric commons. Saving energy, on the other hand, benefits both the person saving energy and everyone else in the energy, environmental, or atmospheric commons.
So if you're thinking of the concept of wasting energy, that represents a commons dilemma, while the concept of saving energy represents an example of a public good. It's not really a dilemma in this case, since it's a win for everyone involved.
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