Aristotle once observed "that which is common to the greatest number has the least care bestowed upon it." More recently, biologist Garrett Hardin coined the phrase "the tragedy of the commons" in warning that jointly owned and freely available resources tend to be overused to their destruction. This course focuses on issues related to the use and management of global commons, in particular the oceans and seabed, the atmosphere, outer space, and Antarctica. We will examine the extent to which these global commons are subject to environmental tragedies and review the international laws and institutions that have been created to manage use of these domains, which lie outside exclusive jurisdiction of nation-states. Among the specific problems to be addressed are marine pollution, the decline of ocean fisheries, the depletion of the ozone layer, global climate change, and resource exploitation in Antarctica. This course complements Environmental Studies 231(F) Globalization and the Environment. Marvin Soroos is the Class of 1946 Visiting Professor of International Environmental Studies in the spring semester. He is professor of political science at North Carolina State University. Format: lecture/discussion and role-playing exercises. Requirements: two examinations and a term paper. No prerequisites. No enrollment limit (expected: 25).

Hour: SOROOS