The Tragedy of the Fishy Commons

In the face of "a major scientific study" that finds

There will be virtually nothing left to fish from the seas by the middle of the century if current trends continue

we have statements like this from the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations:

We have to be very careful about making grandiose, broad-brush predictions for 40 or 50 years and on a global scale also.

OK, let's not make any rigorous, scientifically-grounded, broad-brush predictions for 40 or 50 years and on a global scale, then: we'll just carry on depleting the stocks as if everything's fine until there's nothing left.

You see how easy it was to solve this fish stock problem thanks to the fine minds of the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations?

Eats, Overshoots, Leaves

I like the concept of the World Overshoot Day. OK, the exact numbers are probably arguable, but the idea of living beyond our ecological means is certainly valid. And this is a good way of getting across the seriousness of our plight:

Today, humanity uses about 30% more in one year than nature can regenerate in that same year. This is called "overshoot". An ecological overshoot of 30% means that it takes one year and about three months for the Earth to regenerate what is being used by people in one year, creating an ecological deficit.

We currently maintain this overshoot by liquidating the planet’s natural resources. For example we can cut trees faster than they re-grow, and catch fish at a rate faster than they repopulate. While this can be done for a short while, overshoot ultimately leads to the depletion of resources on which our economy depends.

(Via BBC News.)