GLOBAVIVA Information

There is clear evidence that anthropogenic pressure is disrupting the Earth's ecosystems to such a degree that it threatens the foundations of our own existence. Several critical tipping points are already within reach. With joint effort we can create a transformation by design, instead of letting it happen by disaster and at the same time being better off than before. But the window is closing. Therefore, it is fundamental that the majority of the population become part of it. Yet to date, humans mostly appear to continue with their current habits and practices, fully aware of where it leads. Why do so many ignore, deny, give in — or simply not know what is at stake? It is the tragedy of the commons: Individually, the benefit of carrying on is immediate and personal — but the cost is spread across everyone, and it accumulates: billions of small, individually rational decisions, compounding over decades, add up to collective ruin. Ostrom showed that commons can be governed — where communities build shared norms. That is precisely where our work begins.