The Alliance of Common Waters

The international waters are the only space on earth open to all. Yet we use the oceans as a waste dump, while over-fishing their resources. This issue is known as the Tragedy of the Commons: a scarce resource that is a common good will end in overconsumption and depletion. But there are many cases that disprove this theory. Noor Bootsma suggests taking the community garden as a model for the shared care of the oceans. In community gardens people share products, knowledge and responsibility. This social cooperation protects the garden against negligence and indifference, leaving it in the best of shape. In ‘The Alliance of Common Waters’ all stakeholders of the ocean would share ocean management based on the same principles.