The Tragedy of the Commons was first illustrated in 1968, by Garrett Hardin, which describes how shared environmental resources are overused and depleted as time passes. The Tragedy of Commons focuses on how individuals decisions and actions can lead to environmental ruin. One example that illustrates the Tragedy of the Commons is the groundwater of Los Angeles and the drought (water conservation). Today, California is experiencing a drought and we are limited to the amount of water we use on a daily basis. The drought has affected California in many different ways, for example, managing the water systems in California, water levels in lakes and reservoirs fall, and streams and river flows diminish.
The drought in California is damaging the state 's water supply, thus causing conflict between states, regions, urban residents, and farmers, etc. In the "The West 's Tragedy of the Commons," a man named John Wesley Powell says the following, "A trip through the drought area, supplementing data already on record, makes it evident that we are not confronted merely with a short term problem relief, already being dealt with by several agencies of the Federal Government, but with a long terms problem of readjustment and effective use of all the water available is called for. Intelligent adjustment to the ways of Nature must take the place of attempts to "conquer" her." This statements explains that the government and the citizens have to adjust their usage of water due to the
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The Tragedy of the Commons can be illustrated so many different ways and can be a major problem into our environment. The decisions we make everyday effect the environment and how it functions. The tragedy of the commons teaches us how to maintain a decent amount of resources in order to live. The California drought was an example of how the tragedy of the commons was created. In a time like this, the resources are all we have and need to think about how are we going to benefit the nearer