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Tragedy of Commons in Outer Space - The Case of Space Debris

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Abstract

The state’s right to outer space is far from clear delimitation. Outer space is a typical commons, which means every sovereign state has the right to use the outer space and no state has the right to exclude others from using the outer space. The logic of tragedy of commons equally applies in outer space which means the resource of outer space will inevitably be over-used - for example, the space debris. Space debris is the collateral pollution of the exploration of outer space, which can be categorized in negative externality. The article seeks to frame the space debris problem in perspective of basic property theory. The current right regime under UN-based multilateral treaties will be the outset and the implied background of the entire inquiry. Part II focuses on the incentives provided by the property rights regime and then the externality explanation of space debris as a result of overuse of outer space. Part III comes to the dilemma of international collective action to the mitigation of space debris. The core issue is that the damage space debris caused is so far less than coordination cost of international collective action. In other words, space debris problem is not so urgent in current status of technology. This article concludes by discussion of the role of technology and some other parameters that may be influential to or even decisive in the international cooperation of space exploration and debris mitigation.

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... A resource that everyone could benefit from is spoiled because no party has a strong incentive for conservation or protection. In space, every sovereign state has the right to use Earth orbit and no state has the right to exclude others from using it (Wang, 2013). Sometimes, the problem is compounded by bad actors. ...
... Beyond the ambitions of states, New Space has also meant that more states and private companies have been able to access space, led by a significant reduction in launch costs over the last decade (Shammas and Holen, 2019). This brings about its own issues, notably concerning the potential (and now likely) scaling up of space sector operations which has the potential to lead to a 'tragedy of the commons' type of scenario playing out in space (Wang, 2013). ...
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