Re:As Groundwater Dwindles, a Food Shock Looms
by blackkettle on Sunday December 25, 2016 @06:24PM
(#13255986)
we're just quibbling here...
> You can argue that some ongoing tragedy of the commons also has externalities.
sure, two of the preceding opinions [wikipedia, mit], argue that the tragedy of the commons is a specific type of negative externality, rather than the other way around. one [north carolina] gravitates more towards your interpretation.
the fundamental issue remains though: our conception of time and consequence is woefully limited in scope.
Re:As Groundwater Dwindles, a Food Shock Looms
by stretchwithme on Sunday December 25, 2016 @07:04PM
(#13256136)
I think I get it. The low cost is itself having a destructive effect. People, eventually, can't get the resource that is depleted. I just didn't register that as external, but it is if you consider the depleted future to be external to the wasteful present.
An important point, actually, if I understand correctly. Thanks.
But is there such an externality in the use of water? Is there some side effect that doesn't involve the use of water itself? Isn't the tragedy, the depletion of the supply, the problem? That isn't external.