Theme 2

The human population is basically killing the Earth. There is no doubt about the fact that we humans are continuously destroying the planet that we need more than anything in order to survive. As the human population grows it creates problems that we need to face in the near future, such as the consumption of non-renewable resources and even renewable resources that lead us into the discussion of “The Tragedy of the Commons.”

The “Tragedy of the Commons” is a concept created by Garrett Hardin which talks about how normally renewable resource is being consumed at such a fast rate that the resource cannot renew itself. For example, the fishing industry presents a perfect example of how it works, in the past there were little to no limits on who could fish and how many fish could be caught. Because the fisherman could fish without limits, they would catch as many fish as they possibly could; since all fishermen were doing the same thing, they began to destroy the fish population making it harder for the fish to reproduce fast enough to remain at a stable number.

Because of the “Tragedy of the Commons,” Hardin proposed solutions to the problems that were created. They consisted of (1) government laws, regulations, and incentives; (2) education; (3) small-group/community involvement; (4) and moral, religious, and ethical appeals. Hardin believed that these four different types of solutions are the key to stopping the problems that we face as the population increases each day around the world. Along with these four solutions, other solutions such as education of women in many countries will help decrease our impact on the environment.