The Tragedy Of The Commons: A 10 Point Overview

The Tragedy of The Commons is a complex theory. Garret Hardin and Elinor Ostrom, among many other scholars, have developed and improved upon the protection and allocation of the commons through the years. Population fluctuations, protection laws, privatization of property and technological changes all contribute to the restoration or depletion of the commons. Whether you are using this overview for your studies or just for personal education, the 10 points below will give you insight into The Tragedy of The Commons. 

1. Explaining The Tragedy of The Commons

The Tragedy of the commons is a theory proposed by ecologist Garrett Hardin. In his theory, Hardin states that as the human population grows exponentially we will begin to compete for finite resources. The acquisition of resources becomes an issue when individuals take more than their fair share and gradually deplete or ruin the “commons”. “Commons” are resources that are available to every person in society, whether they be natural (water, air, food) or cultural (occupations, education, community). Hardin proposes that each person acquiring the minimum of the commons and keeping population levels below the maximum is ideal. However, he also claims no society has achieved this and as the human population grows, we will enter a deficit. 

2. Real world consequences of The Tragedy Of The Commons

As technology has moved from simple harpoons to industrial fishing trawlers, the Blue-Fin Tuna has been fished  to extinction in The Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. Despite environmental protections, the Atlantic Blue-Fin tuna are not far behind. 

Even movements to move toward clean energy have drawbacks. The use of corn and sugarcane to produce ethanol (bio-fuel) has led to the destruction of Amazon rainforests and deforestation in North America. Invasion of agriculture on animals’ habitats has gradually depleted the natural landscapes in North America and Brazil. The forests and Blue-Fin Tuna are natural examples of a commons and their eradication is an illustration of the tragedy of overconsumption. 

3. History and Influences Behind the Theory

Garrett Hardin published his theory in 1968. He was inspired by William Forster Lloyd, a 19th century economist. Lloyd distributed a pamphlet using the example of  the “commons” as grazing land. The grazing land was shared by a community of cattle ranchers. Since there was a limited amount of grazing land, the ranchers were restricted to allowing 1-2 cows to graze. 

However, out of self-interest, one of the farmers decides to introduce an additional cow to his herd. When the other ranchers see this, they too, add more cows to the herd to increase their profits. The neighboring farmers exploit the commons by each reasoning “Why shouldn’t I have one more cow grazing than my neighbors, when it will benefit me?” Eventually, the cows’ consumption exceeds the amount of the commons, and the grazing land is destroyed. In the end, their lack of cooperation means the land is ruined for all. 

4. Garrett Hardin’s Beliefs and Stances 

Garrett Hardin was an American ecologist who preached the dangers of overpopulation.  Hardin believed that the Malthusian Catastrophe was inevitable, and uncontrolled populations were to blame. In simple terms, The Malthusian Catastrophe is the idea that population increases exponentially while resources increase linearly. This causes prices for commons to fluctuate with the population, until it reaches a point that they are only affordable by a small percentage of the population. As a result, humans who cannot afford basic resources will suffer. 

Hardin  criticized the welfare state for supporting families with multiple children. He proposed that incoming foreigners and uncapped breeding were to blame for overused natural resources. He supported anti-immigration laws and was involved with eugenics research that sought to find connections between race and intelligence. He is listed as a White Nationalist by the Southern Poverty Law center. 

5. Should We Disregard the Message Because of the Moral failures of the messenger?

Many would say yes. Hardin was involved with questionable research and supported unethical ideas. Hardin wanted population limits to be issued, but he particularly advocated for one child policies for minorities and immigrants. He believed the solution to overconsumption was the privatization of commons; thus effectively limiting access only to those who could afford/maintain them .  However, not only were his theories biased but they were proved false. 

6. Elinor Ostrom Challenged Hardin’s theory

Elinor Ostrom, an American political scientist, was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2009. She was awarded based on her research into the economics of the commons and how depletion of community resources was a preventable issue. Ostrom stated that Hardin’s theory was incorrect as private property laws and community driven protection of collective pool resources (CPRs) prevented The Tragedy of the Commons from occurring. 

7. Examples of Garrett Hardin’s Theory Being Incorrect

Hardin’s example did not actually refer to the “commons” as we know them. In his theory, he relied on William Forster Lloyd’s portrayal of an open-source grazing field. However, most commons are not a free-for-all but a privately owned, or collaboratively owned resource.  Resources such as groundwater and fisheries are not privately owned, but pooled, limited resources. Private property laws and environmental protection laws safe-guard the commons. Also, there are punishments for breaking the laws or social stigmas for going against the norms. 
According to Ostrom, humans have used collective action to allocate CPRs for centuries. Culture, language and a community’s emphasis on cooperation affect the ways humans come together to protect the commons. 

8. Solutions to The Tragedy of The Commons

Since Hardin’s idea of overpopulation and ruined commons has been proved to be inaccurate and avoidable, we now have to look at the solutions. 
Elinor Ostrom proposed awareness and systems thinking. Resource arrangements designed and implemented by communities could eliminate the need for external interference. She stated that by encouraging self-organization and designing programs that allowed for long-term practice, people could collaborate to set limits on the harvesting of resources. 

9. How Government Policies Prevent the Tragedy of the Commons

The government continues to have to interfere on behalf of natural resources. Various laws exist to protect the commons. A few examples are:

• The Environmental Protection Agency
• The Clean Air Act
• The Great Lakes Protection Act 

Exploiting a commons (poaching, overfishing, toxic dumping, deforestation) can result in imprisonment and/or harsh fines. 
Private property laws prevent others from entering your land and using your resources freely. As a result, privately owned grazing lands and lakes are protected from exploitation.

10. How Individuals Can Protect the Commons 

Encourage social norms that stigmatize poor behavior such as littering, poaching, and illegal trapping and fishing. Read books and join groups to educate yourself about the commons near you. Find ways to collaborate with your neighbors to preserve water during droughts and save forest preserves from development. Vote locally and nationally to support the protection of forests, rivers and oceans. 

Commons are vital to the function of society. From forests to fisheries, we all benefit from the resources the Earth provides. Elinor Ostrom’s work has proven that through education and cooperation, people can live harmoniously with the natural world around them, and even preserve it for future generations.