Environmental Science
The Tragedy of the Commons and Collective Action Problems
Quick fact
The term was popularized by ecologist Garrett Hardin in 1968, but the underlying logic explains why shared fisheries, water supplies, and even the planet's atmosphere are often depleted or polluted, despite everyone's long-term interest in preservation.
Why this is interesting
A pasture shared by all, each herder adds another sheep to graze, and soon the grass is gone. Why, despite knowing the consequences, do we each take just a little more?