Global commons
Encyclopedia
Global Commons: the earth's unowned natural resources, such as the oceans, the atmosphere, and space.
Global commons is that which no one person
or state
may own or control and which is central to life. A Global Common contains an infinite potential
with regard to the understanding
and advancement of the biology
and society
of all life. It includes the high seas and its sea bed and subsoil, outer space, and, according to a majority of states, the Antarctic. The atmosphere
is sometimes considered to be a part of the global commons.
In old English law, the common (or commons) was a tract of ground shared by residents of a village, but belonging to no-one. It might be grazing grounds, or the village square, but it was property held in common for the good of all.
According to the World Conservation Strategy, a report on conservation published in 1980 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) in collaboration with UNESCO
and with the support of the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), "A commons is a tract of land or water owned or used jointly by the members of a community. The global commons includes those parts of the Earth's surface beyond national jurisdictions - notably the open ocean and the living resources found there - or held in common - notably the atmosphere. The only landmass that may be regarded as part of the global commons is Antarctica ...".
The Earth
is a global commons; an example of common concern is global warming
/climate change
.
The Internet
and the resulting cyberspace
are beginning to be considered a global commons.
Global commons is that which no one person
Person
A person is a human being, or an entity that has certain capacities or attributes strongly associated with being human , for example in a particular moral or legal context...
or state
Sovereign state
A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
may own or control and which is central to life. A Global Common contains an infinite potential
Potential
*In linguistics, the potential mood*The mathematical study of potentials is known as potential theory; it is the study of harmonic functions on manifolds...
with regard to the understanding
Understanding
Understanding is a psychological process related to an abstract or physical object, such as a person, situation, or message whereby one is able to think about it and use concepts to deal adequately with that object....
and advancement of the biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
and society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
of all life. It includes the high seas and its sea bed and subsoil, outer space, and, according to a majority of states, the Antarctic. The atmosphere
Atmosphere
An atmosphere is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, and that is held in place by the gravity of the body. An atmosphere may be retained for a longer duration, if the gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low...
is sometimes considered to be a part of the global commons.
In old English law, the common (or commons) was a tract of ground shared by residents of a village, but belonging to no-one. It might be grazing grounds, or the village square, but it was property held in common for the good of all.
According to the World Conservation Strategy, a report on conservation published in 1980 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) in collaboration with UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
and with the support of the United Nations Environment Programme
United Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme coordinates United Nations environmental activities, assisting developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices. It was founded as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in June 1972 and has its...
(UNEP) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), "A commons is a tract of land or water owned or used jointly by the members of a community. The global commons includes those parts of the Earth's surface beyond national jurisdictions - notably the open ocean and the living resources found there - or held in common - notably the atmosphere. The only landmass that may be regarded as part of the global commons is Antarctica ...".
The Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
is a global commons; an example of common concern is global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
/climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
.
The Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
and the resulting cyberspace
Cyberspace
Cyberspace is the electronic medium of computer networks, in which online communication takes place.The term "cyberspace" was first used by the cyberpunk science fiction author William Gibson, though the concept was described somewhat earlier, for example in the Vernor Vinge short story "True...
are beginning to be considered a global commons.
External links
- Coalition for the Global Commons A network of concerned world citizens who want to create awareness for the Global Commons
- Share the World's Resources Sustainable Economics to End Global Poverty - the Global Commons in Economic Practice.