Tragedy of the commons, is a dilemma described by Garrett Hardin in 1968, and published in the journal Science, describes a situation in which several individuals, motivated only by personal interest and acting independently but rationally, end up destroying a shared resource. limited (the common) although to none of them, either as individuals or as a whole, it suits them that such destruction happens.
Hardin uses the example to analyze the relationship between freedom and responsibility. Although his work has been harshly criticized by other authors, the publication of it began a broad debate on the analysis of human behavior in the areas of economics, psychology, game theory, politics, sociology, etc.
It is considered that the dilemma represents an example of a social trap in which a social conflict is emphasized over the use of common resources, implying a contradiction between the interests or benefits of individuals and common or public goods.
We can therefore infer that population growth would be a problem for the commons, since for example resources such as water and land are limited.
