THE TRAGEDY of the Ocean
-feat humans & pollution
Part 3: Solutions to the Tragedy
Government Laws, Regulations,
Incentives
Education
Education
1) Change Attitude: by informing the public on the nature and severity of the problem to convince them of the need of their immediate personal action.
Examples:
Documentaries - Plastic Paradise (2013)
2) Provide Information: outline specific actions individuals can take to solve the problem.
Example:
Small-Group
Community
Management
To informally develop and mutually enforce own rules of behaviour without involving government authority. Based on social pressure and sense of obligation.
Example: Modbury, an iconic ‘plastic bag-free’ English town, was the result of a consumer activist alongside small firms changing communities.
Small-Group
Community
Management
Moral, Religious, Ethical Appeals
A combination involving all or most of the four solutions would be most beneficial..
Example:
The U.K government and 21 major retailers started a voluntary program to reduce the amount of distributed plastic bags by 25% in 2006. It ultimately achieved 40% reduction in the environmental impact of carrier bags and a great reduction of the numbers of bags in circulation in 2008 (WRAP, 2010).
Incentives:
Retailers rewarded consumers to bring their own bags, thereby reinforcing pro-social behaviour.
Principles of community management:
Engaging retailers to be more efficient in material usage; by reducing the amount of virgin plastic and increasing recycled content used to manufacture carrier bags.
Educational outreaches:
TV advertisements, magazines, and incentive schemes was highly effective in gaining consumers’ awareness to the value of recycling programs and to bringing their own reusable bag.
Superstore ASDA's magazine did regular features on bag re-use to reach customers and briefed and motivated their staff through internal promotional channels.