Garrett Hardin argued in 1968 that users of a commons (e.g., pastures, fishing grounds) are caught in a predictable process that leads to the destruction of the resources on which they depend. The tragedy of the commons' arises when a collectively-owned sustainable resource is wasted through individual overuse and failure to limit their consumption. While no single act of consumption contributes much to the problem, the consequence of all these individual actions is a situation where the commons can no longer sustain overall consumption.