Use of Common Property in Addressing Common Problems

Common Property and its Role in Addressing Common Problems

Common property refers to items, equipment, or property that has two or more owners. Goods from the natural environment, such as oceans, wilderness, and the atmosphere, are also termed as common property. In the past three decades, there has been a significant increase in the global population, and this has come along with various challenges, such as a rise in poverty rates, deforestation, and ever-increasing pollution rates. In the quest for dealing with some of these problems, it is high time that common property was put into use. In this paper, an assessment of the possible use of common property in addressing common problems is highlighted.

Discussion

The Population Problem

One of the common problems that have over the years been on the rise is that of population growth. Over the years, the world has witnessed geometric growth in population, and this has come along with various challenges. The problem is worsened by cases of immigration. Firstly, land available for use is ever declining, and this implies that in the future, people in some parts of the world may end up being squatters. Additionally, some individuals have been forced to encroach on forests in search of settlement and agricultural lands, thus the reason behind an alarming rate of deforestation across the globe. The frequencies at which fisheries and grazing lands are being depleted as a result of the population problem is also shocking, and this calls for an urgent solution. Degradation of various marine resources has been attributed to a rapid rise in human activities (Cinner 1).

Environmental Pollution

Environmental pollution is another major challenge that is driven by the population problem. Pollution increases significantly with a rise in the number of individuals per every square kilometer. With an increase in the number of people around the world, more industries have been set up in the past decade. Subsequently, reported cases of air and water pollution have risen immensely. Water pollution also comes from poorly maintained drainage systems that end up discharging raw sewage into water bodies. Households that are in direct contact with polluted water are at high risks of disease infection.

The population problem has also come along with a decline in resources and failures by both the local and national governments in providing quality services to its people. Herdsmen in various parts of the world are currently faced with the challenge of ever-shrinking grazing lands (Hardin 1244). The same case applies to depletion of groundwater as a result of the excessive usage by the increasing number of people in a community. Fisheries have also been negatively impacted as a result of the rapid global population growth, and most of them currently lack enough fish to serve the several fishermen that visit them on a regular basis. In the past two decades, with the population growth across the globe, national and local governments have also been hit with the challenge of the provision of quality services to its services. In most areas, for instance, crime rates are on the record high while medical services are poor. Countries such as India with a large population density are also faced with issues such as poor education quality in some regions, marginalization, and lack of adequate resources.

Possible Use of Common Property in Addressing the Issue

The common problem of population growth can be addressed by relying on common property in various ways. Firstly, a proper subdivision of land in the community is one of those measures that will be vital in dealing with challenges of displacement and encroachment into forest lands thus resulting in deforestation. In various countries around the world, land grabbing and unfair and unequal division of land have become a major issue, and this leaves some people without a place to live. Local government in collaboration with land agencies need to educate individuals about effects of inequality in land divisions as well as the consequences that come along with forest encroachment. In the quest for dealing with issues of pollution, the government needs to come up with stringent regulations that will effectively address the issue. The communities need also take responsibility in their hands by conserving their environment.

A reduction in grazing lands is another major issue that has been caused by an increase in population. In the quest for dealing with the challenge, grazing lands have to be viewed as a common property where various herdsmen can freely share and feed their animals. The local governments also need to step in and address the issue by allocating different sections of grazing lands to a group of herders on a temporary basis (Hardin 1246). Moreover, the government will create a market where the animal farmers will be able to supply their products such as milk, meat, and far. A combination of effective methods of allocation of grazing lands by either community heads or local governments and the creation of markets where farmers will be able to supply their produce will be vital in dealing with challenges of squeezing grazing lands and high poverty rates in the densely populated areas.

Depletion in fisheries and groundwater is another problem that is evident in the modern-day as a result of population growth as a common problem. The challenge arises when a large group of fishermen relies on one fishery as their main source of fish or when an entire community depends on a single groundwater resource for extracting water for their domestic consumption. Both common properties can be utilized in addressing the issues faced by the persons. In a marine water body, for instance, the government can come up with stringent regulations that only allow a specified number of fishermen to carry out their fishing activities in a given segment of the ocean. In so doing, that discouraged excessive fishing that ends up resulting in the depletion of fisheries. Implementation of Customary Marine Tenure will also be effective in dealing with issues of degradation of the inshore marine resources (Cinner 1). Communities also have to set up more groundwater resources by drilling boreholes. Access to these water resources will be limited in that only a given number of society members will access the set boreholes per given time. Subsequently, this will be vital in the prevention of drying up of groundwater resources.

Conclusion

Common properties can be embraced in addressing common problems such as population growth. Implementation of suitable allocation of grazing land policies, regulations to control fishing in the fisheries, and integration of Customary Marine Tenure can be effective in dealing with various common problems that have over the years been generated by the significant increase in population around the world.

Work Cited

Cinner, Joshua. "Socioeconomic Factors Influencing Customary Marine Tenure In The Indo-Pacific." Ecology and Society 10.1 (2005): n. pag. Web.

Hardin, Gareth. "Tragedy Of Commons." Journal of Information Processing and Management 162.3859 (1968): 1243-1248. Web.