Public goods are non-rival and non-excludable services and products that benefit populations as a whole. They are largely consistent with the idea of [natural](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_law) or [unalienable rights](https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript) available to all individuals. Non-rival means that one individual’s use of a public good does not limit another’s use of the same good. Non-excludable means it is accessible to anyone. Clean air and clean water are simple examples of a public good. [[Ecosystem Services]] provide public goods. Recognizing public goods is one of the principle dimensions of planetary realism. Public goods are a practical means of approaching a shared cosmology. > [!quote] Achille Mbembe > When I look at cosmologies of existence among the Dogon in Mali, or among the Yoruba in Nigeria or other communities in the Congo Basin, what strikes me is the central place these cultures give to the principle of animation — with the sharing of vital breath. Breath is a right that is universal, in the sense that we all breathe but we that we do not simply breathe individually. We also share **the vital breath**. ### Complex Examples - Housing - Healthcare - Atmosphere Its possible that we should consider the base level of Maslow's hierarchy as public goods. Other social values, such as the [four freedoms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Freedoms) stem from the delivery of basic needs.