Profile: Jim Harrison

Hey Lindsey:  Fascinating project!!  I hope this will get picked up by the NYT and perhaps others.  That garbage patch is a chilling demonstration of what is referred to in economics as the tragedy of the commons, a term coined by the late Garrett Hardin (a professor at UCSB) to describe the devastation which often follows overuse/abuse of a commonly owned asset. The Pacific Ocean is analagous to the Commons (communally owned pastures) of old England, which were overgrazed and abused to devastation because no one person or group owned the asset with the incentive to protect it for future use and enjoyment. An old concept, perhaps first voiced by Aristotle: "What is common to the greatest number has the least care bestowed upon it." Perhaps your reporting can begin to change that dynamic.

Best,

Jim Harrison