Which of the following is the best example of a tragedy of the commons?
Requiring permits for grazing cattle on United States parklands
Depletion of crude oil on private lands
Accumulation of plastics in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Eutrophication of a pond on a farmer’s land
Which of the following scenarios best explains the concept of the tragedy of the commons?
Fish are shared resources, and as the fishing industry competes for the fish, the resource extraction is no longer sustainable.
Fish farming, a type of aquaculture, produces fish through selective breeding to produce a cheap source of protein, reducing the fishing pressure on wild stock fish
A collapse of the fishing industry leads to a loss of fishing-related jobs, which will have negative consequences on the economy.
Declines in the fish population lead to a decline in the population of fish predators, affecting the entire food chain.
One example of the tragedy of the commons occurs when trees are harvested from tropical rain forests without any regulations. Which of the following best describes why this is an example of the tragedy of the commons?
Trees are an important resource, but not all individuals can access the resource.
Tropical rain forests have the highest number of species per unit area, and trees are important for stability in the ecosystem.
Timber producers remove as much timber as possible as cheaply as possible.
Tropical rain forests have a thin layer of decaying organic matter and relatively low nutrient levels slowing tree growth.
Which of the following characterizes Garrett Hardin's 'tragedy of the commons'?
It is in each farmer's interest to graze as many sheep as possible before the grass has become completely grazed, thereby over-exploiting the pasture.
No farmer can afford to reseed the pasture, in which case the grass is never replenished.
Even if each farmer agreed to limit the number of sheep they graze, they can't know how many sheep are too many, thereby over-exploiting the pasture.
The farmers are unable to agree on a set of rules that determine who is responsible for reseeding the pasture and how many sheep are allowed.