Title: Collective Action Problems | GEOG 30N: Environment and Society in a Changing World
Headings: Collective Action Problems
Collective Action Problems
Collective Action Problems
Environmental Collective Action Problems

Content: This is the conflict between the individual interest and the group interest. Environmental Collective Action Problems
Collective action problems are widespread throughout environmental issues. Usually, they involve scenarios in which individuals want to act selfishly in a way that would harm the environment, but groups would benefit from environmental protection. Here are some examples: Individuals often want to do things that emit a lot of greenhouse gases, but society overall may be better off with less climate change. Individuals often want to drive cars so as to get around faster, but driving causes more air pollution that harms the whole group. Additionally, driving can cause traffic jams, whereas public transit avoids traffic jams. The car/transit decision is often a collective action problem for travel time: each individual travels faster by driving regardless of what other individuals do, but the group will overall travel faster if everyone takes transit than if everyone drives. Individuals may want to harvest scarce natural resources that are up for grabs, but society overall may be better off if everyone avoids using too much of these resources.