One of the major problems of today's society is the dwindling of resources in the face of a growing human population. Every evening on the news we see images of war and famine. Land use has become a major political issue as cattle lands become harder to preserve and as fishing stocks in the oceans become depleted. These problems are described by the phrase "tragedy of the commons." To understand this phrase we must first clarify the meaning of some of the words. "Tragedy" refers, in this context, to an inevitable, unsolvable set of problems. The "commons" refers to shared, or publicly held, resources. In many ways the oceans of the world are treated as an international commons. While many treaties exist to regulate commercial fishing, each nation uses the oceans in a way it sees fit. Each nation takes fish from the same waters, without giving attention to overfishing and depleting the fish stocks. This has led to a smaller and smaller harvest of fish year after year.

CS Question #1: What is a nonrenewable resource?

The "tragedy" of the "common" oceans is the depletion of natural resources. Eventually, all the fish stocks will become exhausted and fishing will cease. When resources are available freely, they are used until nothing remains. The planet Earth provides many resources, yet all but a few are nonrenewable. There is a finite amount of fresh water, oil, clean air and even space. In the last 100 years the human population has exploded to nearly 8 billion and is growing exponentially. As the human population increases, so has the use of nonrenewable resources. In many nations, the resources to fulfill basic needs are scarce. Even in developed nations, resources are becoming strained, leading to higher consumer prices. Due to a shortage of oil, gas prices have increased all over the United States. The tragedy of the commons occurs when growth is no longer sustainable because the resources necessary for growth have become unavailable.

CS Question #2: What are some other examples of the tragedy of the commons?

The size of the human population is one of the major problems facing the world today. As the population grows, the strain on the world's resources increases. The human population depends on the natural resources to survive and prosper, and as humanity prospers it multiplies. In order to deal with a growing population, scientists and governments are trying to find technological solutions to the dwindling reserve of natural resources. Genetically altered crops are being developed to feed more individuals. Alternative energy sources are also being pursued in order to continue powering industries. Ultimately, however, there may not be a technological solution that is able to sustain the world's human population.

CS Question #3: What can we do to control the growing human population?

One of the biggest challenges of the future will be dealing with the tragedy of the commons. In a world in whichresources are quickly being depleted and the population is rapidly growing, the options will become more and more limited. How to stop the mass extinction of other species? How to preserve the ozone layer and the rain forests, yet at the same time allow for human civilization to flourish? These are the questions that will present themselves to the coming generation of world leaders and citizens.

CS Question #4: What are three other examples of impending problems in our future as a result of the growing population?

Further Thought:

1. How has environmentalism changed the way we view the natural world?
2. How has our government attempted to limit population growth around the world?
3. Can technology solve the energy crisis? Can technology solve the population problem?