Environmental Congress 2025: Together against the tragedy of the Allmende!

Environmental Congress 2025: Together against the tragedy of the Allmende!

Linz, Österreich - air and water - the two indispensable common goods on earth - are the focus of the Upper Austrian environmental congress 2025, which takes place on June 6, 2025. At a time when the overuse and pollution of this resource threatens to blow up the ecological limits, the congress is an invitation to everyone, actively participating in the discussion about the preservation of these valuable goods for future generations. As

What does the tragedy of the Allmende mean for our resources? This problem was shaped by William Forster Lloyd as early as 1833 when he gave the example of a shepherd who lets his animals graze on a community meadow. Overuse by a single shepherd can damage the entire community. Current challenges are that damage can often not be reclaimed by the causers. As described in Forum CSR , it is essential to solve such dilemmata through ethical behavior and social norms or through regulation in advance. National approaches such as CO2 pricing or ecological tax practices such as in Denmark or England can serve as an example.

Successful management of common goods

The transfer of the Commons idea to air and water could create new usage rules that reconcile ecological sustainability and social justice. The environmental congress will discuss various best practice models that have been developed worldwide for the sustainable use of these resources. Elinor Ostrom, who was the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2009, found in her research that small, locally networked communities can often deal with resources more effectively than central administrations. Their knowledge, which they summarized in more than 1000 case studies, show that trust and local experiments are crucial for the sustainable use of common goods.

Ostrom named Eight “Design Principies”, which significantly influence the success of common goods. Among other things, this includes the determination of clear boundaries between users and non -users as well as the possibility of setting their own rules and solving conflicts locally. This could also be a key to tackle the challenge of climate change together by promoting local and regional initiatives in order to counteract the tragedy of the general and thus also leave a livable environment.

The Upper Austrian Environmental Congress 2025 offers a platform to discuss all these ideas and to set new impulses to protect our most important resources. Let us take this opportunity to work together on solutions that take into account the different interaction between human behavior and ecological necessities. This interactive exchange is crucial to develop sustainable perspectives for the future and to preserve the natural foundations of our civilization.