The Tragedy of the Commons

The tragedy of the commons is an analogy used to illustrate the conflict for resources between individual interests and the common good. The term was coined and popularized by Garrett Hardin in his 1968 Science essay "The Tragedy of the Commons". While the original article was primarily concerned with human population growth, Hardin also focused on the use of resources such as the atmosphere and oceans.

(yeah that hardin guy was a crazy fellow)