The article by Garret Hardin, “the Tragedy of the Commons,” addresses the population problem by emphasizing the invalidity of the commons under high population conditions. He states that the planet and all forms of commons are limited in their capacity, which means that they cannot sustain an exponentially increasing population. The problem of overpopulation has no technical solution because of the limitations of the issue (Hardin, 1968). The author provides an example of the tragedy of the commons involving cattle and grazing areas. The core of the problem is manifested in the fact that one’s actions in self-interest always outweigh the individual harm imposed.
It is important to note that the issue of overpopulation can be translated to many problems of the commons. Using the example of herdsmen, one additional cattle is equal to +1 benefit to the cattle owner, but the harm is fractional because all animals are harming the grazing area (Hardin, 1968). In other words, the decision-making for each individual will always be inclined towards damaging the commons rather than putting its preservation over one’s self-interests. The same concept can be applied to other overpopulation issues, such as pollution, breeding, or national parks.
In conclusion, human breeding and population increase cannot be regulated, and nature cannot be allowed to punish overbreeding since the current dogma of morality and human rights prohibits it. Therefore, the only valid solution is indeed the removal of the concept of the commons, where everything needs to be privatized and owned, where the responsibility factor is transferred to the owner. The commons, which cannot be owned, need to be restricted and closed for access such as seas and oceans.
Reference
Hardin, G. (1968). The tragedy of the commons. American Association for the Advancement of Science, 162(3859), 1243-1248. Web.