Have you ever heard about the Tragedy of The Commons?
It is an economic and social problem, elaborated by the American ecologist Garret Hardin in 1968. At that time, overuse of resources was emerging as a critical issue. Unfortunately, nowadays, we reached the point at which the overuse of resources is a highly critical issue!
Hardin argues that individual short-term interest conflicts with the collective good. People want to take as much of a resource as possible. Ultimately, this depletes resources to the point of extinction.
This theory has been largely contested and revised. It can be right or wrong, complete or incomplete. But I think it offers interesting points of reflection.
How can we use natural resources without damaging the environment and other users?
Are we able to take efficient decisions on the long run rather then the short run?
Are we mainly driven by individual interests? Or can we prioritize the common good over personal interests?
These are all valuable questions. We can ask them to ourselves to gain a deeper understanding of our typical behavior.
Become aware of how we think and act is a fundamental step to reframe our behaviours.
