The tragedy of the commons may be defined as an economic issue that relates to the motivation of every individual to consume a particular resource to the disadvantage of other individuals.When the resource’s demand overwhelms its supply, every person who consumes additional units automatically harms others who will not be able to use the benefits in the future. The tragedy of the commons traditionally involves a conflict for limited resources between the common good and personal interests as it occurs when people start to neglect the society’s well-being in the pursuit of their personal interests and goals.
The tragedy of the commons implies the degradation and overuse of natural resources, the over-harvesting of timber, and the destruction of farm productions and fisheries. In animal farms, the increase of livestock numbers on the basis of limited sources and land in the prospect of business growth will result in the destruction of land and contribution to climate change. Concerning fishery, competitive fishing grounds will inevitably lead to over-fishing, the subsequent decline of fish populations, and the collapse of the entire industry. In addition, fish populations substantially depend on climate change and long-term warming. For instance, the increase of the Gulf of Maine’s sea surface temperatures over the past decade resulted in “reduced recruitment and increased mortality in the region’s Atlantic cod stock” (Pershing et al., 2015, p. 809). The attempt to recognize the issue of climate change and its impact failed and consequently contributed to over-fishing.