13/02/2018 - Geography

Please review and be critical.

KEY POINTS

The ‘Global Commons’ refers to resource domains or areas that lie outside of the political reach of any one nation State. Thus international law identifies four global commons namely: the High Seas; the Atmosphere; Antarctica.

Significance of Global Commons

·        According to UNEP, a third of the global population depends on ‘Commons’ for their survival.

·        It acts as basis for the sustaining the livelihood of the human beings in the world.

·        65% of global land area is under ‘Commons’, in different forms. At least 293,061 million metric tonnes of carbon (MtC) are stored in the collective forestlands of indigenous peoples and local communities.

·        Preserving Global common acts plays a pivotal role in attaining the sustainable development goals.

Concerns regarding global commons

·        The state can have oversight over resource management, keeping people away from using and managing ‘Commons’ is against effective governance of ‘Global Commons’.

·        Over exploitation of resources and domination by private players acts as threat to global commons.

·        Withdrawal of Japan from International whaling commission is recent example which pose threat to ecosystems in Antarctica, due to hunting of whales.

Required approach for the conservation

·        There needs to be a review of current governance of biodiversity and natural resources. 

·        Countries need to stick to their goals as provided in the conventions, climate agreements signed at international level, eventhough the agreement is not binding upon the members.

·        Putting the resource management at the hands of people via decentralisation and empowering people at the grass roots level will help in utilizing the natural resources optimally in a diverse country like India.