Garrett Hardin's article “The Tragedy of the Commons” illustrates the persistent problem of the commons. The article clearly illustrates the effects of exponentially increasing population such as pollution and food. Possible solutions to the problems are given in the article, but any solution will be difficult to implement and may not be effective due to man's sense of freedom and selfishness. The commons is an area of ​​land that belongs to the public as opposed to being owned by private individuals, which is private property. Garrett Hardin describes the "tragedy of the commons" as a problem of populations and individuals overexploiting the commons for their own personal gain. He discusses overexploitation of resources and pollution, but these are ultimately the causes of exponential population growth. He claims that because we live in a finite world we can only support a finite number of people and our resources will eventually run out; however, we live as if our resources are infinite. As our population grows, it will become increasingly difficult to support, and to attempt to support a growing population, our amount of resources used must be as close to zero as possible. This creates a problem, because man is naturally selfish and wants to benefit only himself. their families. Overcrowding causes environmental problems; Raising animals requires a lot of space and attention, which is not always available. These animals graze as a food source to survive, but if there is not enough space for grazing the animals may not have enough......middle of paper......and the only ones who can change the tragedy of common goods'. He further states on page 1246: “…the belief that all who are born have an equal right to the commons is to lock the world into a tragic course of action.” Until man stops thinking only of himself and instead of the greatest good for the greatest number of people, sustainability will be attainable and required. Works Cited Ending the oceans' 'tragedy of the commons', by ARC Center of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies, ScienceDaily, September 14, 2010 The tragedy of the commons, by Garrett Hardin, Science, vol.162, 13 December 1968, p 1243-1248 Why the BP Oil Spill is a Tragedy of the Commons, Part II, by Andy Mannle, Environmentalleader.com, July 27, 2010.